The Spare
by grrlgeek72
Summary: Eight months after her coronation, Queen Elsa of Arendelle begins to bring her sister into the governance of the kingdom. She does not know that there is a plot to force her from the throne. A plot that began long before her parents died. A plot that requires two deaths in order to succeed. Our story is now complete. Please review if you liked it!
1. The King is Dead!

**Introduction**

Eight months have passed since Elsa thawed the kingdom. She has settled into a routine and begins to bring Anna into participating in the governance of Arendelle. Her enemies have not forgotten the wrongs they feel need to be avenged, however, and a plot to remove Elsa from the throne of Arendelle is seething beneath the surface. A plot that started long before her coronation. There are two people who need to die before that plot can succeed, however.

**Author's note on dates:** Word of God has stated that the movie takes place 'around' 1840, so let's just go with 1840. Based on the full moon that Anna and Hans danced under, and Oaken's comment about the 'howler in July', Elsa's coronation took place on July 14, 1840, and the events of the movie took three days. All the dates in this story use July 14, 1840 as the baseline.

I have arbitrarily assigned July 7, 1819 as Elsa's birthday. I'm making the assumption that her coronation day was set up for the convenience of everyone, not necessarily needing to be on the exact day she turns 21. And, equally arbitrarily, I have chosen September, 1837 as the month when her parents took that ill-fated voyage. It would not be totally unlikely for a freak storm to happen that far north in the fall.

The main storyline takes place eight months after Coronation Day, or March, 1841. There will be quite a bit of jumping around to set up that storyline, and I will use flashbacks to do so. I will try to make it clear **when** each scene takes place with a descriptive heading.

Our story begins with a flashback to the day Elsa learns that she is now **Queen** Elsa.

* * *

**** September, 1837 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Royal Council Chambers ****

"King Agdar is dead! Long Live Queen Elsa!"

'Queen Elsa' was an eighteen year old girl who had just learned that her parents were dead, and that she was now the Queen of Arendelle. Her brain shut down. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. She simply stared at the men in front of her, frozen.

"Your Majesty?" a soft , sympathetic voice spoke in her ear; a brief, light touch on her arm brought her back into focus. It was Kai, one of the few servants left on the castle staff when her father had closed the gates ten years ago. "Your Majesty?" The unspoken words _"Are you okay?" _hung in the air, because he knew she wasn't. He was concerned for her. He had more reason to be than most of the men in the room.

She tried to speak, couldn't. She swallowed and tried again. "In ... in light of this terrible accident that has taken the King and Queen from us, I decree a mourning period of thirty days." She managed to dredge those words up from her memory, somehow. "Now, please, if you'll excuse me...I...I must request you allow me some time to ... digest this news. In private."

Elsa was able to walk out of the room without breaking down, but as soon as she was out of sight in the hallway she ran as though all the demons of hell were pursuing her. She ran to her room; her sanctuary, her prison; slammed the door behind her and collapsed onto the floor. As she sobbed, ice formed on the walls and snowflakes hung suspended in the air. _"Conceal, don't feel. Oh, Papa, Mama!"_

* * *

"Well, that wasn't very ... impressive." Anders Reinertsen was a member of the Royal Arendelle Council of Advisors. He was a prominent merchant, prosperous and well-connected within the gentry of Arendelle. His ships traded profitably at every port in northern Europe.

"In the name of God, man! She's a young girl, just turned eighteen, who is told that her parents are dead and she's now the Queen. What on earth were you expecting her to do? Sit down in that chair at the head of the table and immediately begin discussing trade negotiations with Weselton? Let her mourn her parents as a daughter before you expect her to be the Queen." This speaker was Admiral Mikael Naismith, commander of the Royal Arendelle Navy and all the other uniformed services of the kingdom.

Admiral Naismith glanced at Kai, received a small nod in return. The two men knew the secret of Elsa's magic power, a secret known to only three people now that the King and Queen had died in a freak storm at sea.

"Yes, a girl, emotional, flighty. Not like her father at all." Reinertsen harrumphed back at the Admiral. "And we hardly know her. Agdar kept her isolated. How do we know she's fit to rule this kingdom?"

"KING Agdar was diligent in training her to succeed him. Keep a civil tongue in your head! Have you no respect for the dead? Or the living?" The Admiral glowered at Reinertsen.

"Gentlemen! Please!" Bishop Henrik Norgaard spoke up before the discussion devolved into more than just bickering. He was far more sympathetic to the Admiral's point of view than Reinertsen's, but he tried to maintain a neutral expression. "We should plan the memorial service for the late King and Queen."

With this to divert them, the council settled back into routine.

* * *

"Your Majesty? It's time." Gerda looked at the girl with affection and sympathy. She had been part of the castle staff since before the royal daughters had been born, and loved them as much as she loved her own children.

Gerda was the third person left alive who knew Elsa's secret. She was dismayed to see the young woman begin to tremble as ice appeared on the walls. Small snowflakes formed to whirl in the air. Elsa was losing control.

"I can't. Oh, Gerda, I just can't!" Tears began to run down Elsa's cheeks, and she staggered on her feet, reached behind her to steady herself against her bed. The snow swirled more swiftly, the ice spread to cover more of the room. "I thought I could, but I can't!"

Gerda knew better than to mouth empty platitudes. She also knew better than to reach out to Elsa; the girl would only recoil at the attempt, she was deathly afraid to touch anyone. The gesture would only make matters worse.

"I understand, Your Majesty. Is there any message I may convey to Princess Anna?" The sisters had been separated for ten years; Anna had no idea that the separation was to protect her. Gerda questioned the wisdom of that decision, but ... she was just a servant.

"Tell her, tell them all ... that I've become ill. Very ill. Too ill to come." Elsa forced the words out through clenched teeth and her sobs. "Please, go, I don't want to hurt you!"

Her heart breaking for the young woman who was her Queen, Gerda nodded, curtsied, and left the room.

Elsa collapsed with her back against the door and wrapped her arms around her knees. She was dressed in a black and grey mourning dress. The memorial for her parents was to begin in less than an hour, and she would not be there. She bent her head to rest on her knees and wept: for them, for herself, for Anna.

Her absence would be noticed. She was now the Queen. Her every move, word, gesture, were now the subject of intense scrutiny. And judgement.

* * *

The crowd parted and bowed in respect as Princess Anna walked slowly down the hill from the two cenotaphs erected to commemorate her parents. They waited a few minutes before following her back to Arendelle from the memorial service for the King and Queen.

Anders Reinertsen muttered to Bjorn Thorstad. "So, and where is our new Queen? Couldn't even bring herself to honor her dead parents."

"You heard the princess. She's 'ill'." snorted Thorstad.

"Yes, well, how convenient an excuse. You may believe that, but I certainly don't. I tell you, Thorstad, that girl is not fit to rule this kingdom."

"And who is there to put in her place? An even younger girl, who's as flighty and irresponsible as a five-year old?" Thorstad retorted. Both were careful to speak in whispers that would not be overheard. This conversation could be construed as treason.

"A young girl not yet an adult. Who would be guided by a Regent. A mature Regent, able to influence her development until she reached adulthood. Perhaps influence her choice of a consort. Three years is a long time." Reinertsen's tone of voice made it clear who he thought would make an excellent Regent, perhaps even a consort for a young, naive Princess.

Thorstad snorted again. "An unlikely event, Anders. What would it take to put the sister on the throne? I doubt the Queen will be taking any sea voyages any time soon. So there would be no convenient 'accidents' to remove her. And if anything were to happen to the Queen, Naismith would be suspicious. For that matter, so would Norgaard. They wouldn't rest until they were sure about what had happened."

"Bah! Weaklings, both of them. It takes a tough-minded man to do what is right for the kingdom, even if it means forcing an unfit ruler from the throne." A note of contempt was clear in his voice.

"You'd better not let Naismith hear you call him a weakling. He's a much better swordsman and pistoleer than you are, and a challenge to his honor wouldn't go unanswered." Thorstad cautioned.

"Hrumph." Reinertsen subsided. He knew what would happen if he faced Naismith on the field of honor.

"Give it some time. Let the Council see how she handles herself. If you're right about her, it won't take long for all of them to come around to your way of thinking, even Naismith. He's a loyalist, but his higher loyalty is to Arendelle, not the girl." Thorstad was persuasive.

"We'll see about that." Reinertsen let the conversation drop, but his thoughts continued to plan how he could proceed with the strategy to put the younger Princess on the throne. He was a patient man.

* * *

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, looked out the window overlooking the castle courtyard and cast her thoughts back to that day when the courtyard had been filled with people here to celebrate her coronation. That day she had stood before them terrified that they would discover her secret. A secret she had been hiding for thirteen years. A secret that didn't make it to thirteen years and one day, thanks to her sister Anna.

It wasn't Anna's fault. It wasn't any one person's fault. If Elsa were going to write a 'whose fault was it?' list, it would include her parents, GrandPabbie the eldest troll, her sister Anna and herself, not necessarily in that order.

Elsa turned and walked back to her study. _"The past is in the past. Let it go." _She smiled a little at those words in her head. She had flung them into the sky in defiance that night, alone on the mountain. Futile defiance, as it turned out. She had discovered that running away didn't really solve anything. Problems had a habit of following you and digging you out of your nice, safe hiding place.

Sitting at her desk, Elsa paged through some notes she had written to prepare for this meeting. She mused about the lessons her father had taught her; lessons critical to the good governance of a kingdom. If only she hadn't needed to use those lessons at so young an age; before she was ready. She was determined that her sister would be better prepared should some accident of fate put Anna on the throne. Elsa had felt completely inadequate to take the throne when tragedy took their parents from them. She didn't want Anna to feel that crushing burden in the same way.

While they were growing up, Elsa's education was more intense, but her sister Anna's had not been neglected. Until one of them had children to join the line of succession, they were all that Arendelle had. As Queen, Elsa had the responsibility to ensure that the throne would be in good hands should anything happen to her. She owed that to Arendelle, but more importantly, she owed that to her sister.

Elsa's personality was more reserved and inhibited than her sister's. Elsa was punctual; Anna had a casual attitude toward time. Their clashing styles could have led to real conflicts. But Elsa loved her baby sister so much that she was willing to let Anna be Anna. Most of the time. And, truthfully, she was learning that Anna's approach to life was just what Elsa needed occasionally. She certainly laughed more when Anna was around. She could only hope that maybe a little of **her** style would rub off on Anna, if only for the peace of mind of the castle staff.

Elsa had asked Anna to meet her this afternoon for some tutoring in political reality. She was late, as usual.

"Hi, Elsa!" Anna bounced into the study with her familiar exuberance. "Look what I brought you from the market!" She held out a small box to Elsa. Chocolate! Both girls loved the sweet rich taste, and Anna always shared with Elsa.

Smiling with delight, Elsa said "Thank you, Anna. You know I appreciate your gifts." Elsa was nothing if not polite, which didn't stop her from sneaking an extra piece of chocolate when Anna wasn't looking.

"So, what's the big plan for this afternoon? I hope it won't take long, Olaf and Sven invited me and Kristoff to a picnic!" Anna said while popping a sweet into her mouth.

"Anna, it will take as long as it takes. You and I have a kingdom to rule, remember?" Elsa replied.

"What's this 'we' stuff? Last time I looked, **you're** stuck with it for life. And the family histories say our ancestors lived long, healthy lives, so I figure you're good for 75 more years or so!"

Elsa's face suddenly took on a look of profound sorrow, and Anna wished she had bitten her tongue before making that remark. Accidents happen, and no one knew how long their life would be.

"Well most of them ... Elsa, I'm sorry. That was thoughtless. I still miss them, too." Anna sat next to her sister and took her hand. Elsa squeezed it and sighed.

"I know you do. And as much as I hope nothing like that happens to either one of us, we need to plan for that 'just in case'. Papa didn't expect to leave us on our own, but it happened. If my life were cut short, I wouldn't want you to feel the way I did when they told me I was Queen. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Anna remembered her own grief-stricken misery when they told **her** about their parents. She couldn't imagine how the extra burden of assuming the throne had weighed on Elsa.

They sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts. Anna finally spoke up.

"Okay, with that as a start, what sort of grueling plans do you have for me, oh Great and Powerful Sovereign Ruler of Arendelle?" Anna hoped a little irreverence would break the gloom. Elsa fell into glum moods too easily, still, and it was hard to get her out of them sometimes.

"You're still continuing your lessons with your tutors, but I think we should add more focus on diplomacy and politics. Plus, I would like you to take on some formal duties with me. A lot of what my job entails is people issues, and you're better at that than I am. I can learn from you, and I want to." Elsa hoped Anna saw this as a sensible plan.

"Ewww...diplomacy? Ugh, like dancing with that weaselly Duke at the ball? I still haven't forgiven you for that!" Anna twisted her face into an imitation of the pretentious little man who had 'danced' all over her toes that night.

Elsa had to laugh at the memory. He **had** been ridiculous. Before he tried to have his men kill her. Even ridiculous men can be dangerous, if driven by fear and greed.

"Yes, Anna, just like that." Elsa pulled a sheet of paper out out her desk and started writing. "Let's send a note to Kristoff. I don't think you'll be joining that picnic today."

Anna pouted, then sighed. "You better be more fun than they are!" She noticed there was only one chocolate left._ 'Elsa you stinker,' _she thought as she grabbed it while Elsa was busy concentrating on her note.


	2. Long Live the Queen!

**** October, 1837 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Royal Council Chambers ****

Elsa sat stiffly erect in the chair that had once been her father's. She was presiding over her first meeting of the Royal Council of Advisors. It had been going on for some hours now, and they were no closer to making any decisions than when they started. Her jaw ached from the tight clenching of her teeth as she maintained rigid control over her emotions. She could not afford to slip in front of these men. She knew that some of them were not her allies.

She finally interrupted the bickering that was going on over some procedural matter . "Gentlemen!" They ignored her. "Gentlemen!" A little louder, with a rap of her knuckles on the table for emphasis. "Please!"

The argument died down and they looked at her. "Our apologies, Your Majesty." Admiral Naismith nodded at her.

"I realize that I have not attended these meetings before," This was not QUITE true, but she had no intention of revealing that to the group. "But I would like to suggest a small change in format."

"Change, Your Majesty?" Naismith, again.

"Yes, Admiral. We have been at this for some time, and very little seems to have been resolved. You are all very busy men, and your time is too valuable to waste. Therefore, I propose the following: We will meet once a month for three hours, with a strict agenda. Each of you will forward a report concerning the status of your area of responsibility to me and the other Council members one week before the meeting. The report will include any request for action that is required of me or the Council as a whole. We will then vote on the requests at the meeting, after a short discussion." She looked around at all of them. "I believe this will allow us to complete our business with dispatch and efficiency."

She had delivered this little speech in a quiet voice, but no one at the table doubted it was a command phrased as a polite request. Her father had not neglected her training in deportment and elocution.

Bishop Henrik Norgaard was the first to speak. "Ahem, I believe you may be right, Your Majesty. I believe I speak for the rest when I say your suggestion will in fact speed things up and reduce some acrimony." He didn't speak for all the rest, but no one was going to contradict him.

"Very well, then. We will meet again in one month. Thank you for your loyalty to Arendelle, and I know we will work well together going forward." She suspected otherwise, but politeness never hurt. "We are adjourned."

Elsa rose and the men around the table hastily rose also to bow in respect as she left the room. She got further down the hall this time before breaking into a run. Once she got to her room, though, the result was the same. Sobs, ice, and snow. _"I will never survive this. Papa, how could you leave me? You said I'd be fine...I'm not fine!" _

Back in the council room, the members gathered up their papers and left in ones and twos, more than one of them grumbling about the abrupt end to the council meeting. Bishop Norgaard caught Admiral Naismith's eye, and beckoned him back to the table as the last of the others left.

"I'm worried about her, Mikael. Is she all right?" he asked in a low voice.

"All right? No, and she won't be, not for a while yet. She's still grieving, Henrik, and she is alone as no monarch in recent memory has been before her." Naismith replied.

He looked thoughtfully at the Bishop. Naismith was now carrying two secrets he could not share; his Queen had recently summoned him and sought his help in preparing a dungeon to confine her if her magic could not be controlled. He had agreed with great reluctance, but he had to admire her single-minded focus on protecting the kingdom with no regard for herself.

He could reassure his friend on one thing, at least. "But the girl has steel in her soul. Her only concern is for her sister, and Arendelle. No matter what it costs her personally. We'll just have to do what we can to protect her."

Bishop Norgaard nodded, and the two men left to attend to their duties.

* * *

Walking across the causeway leading from the castle to the town, Anders Reinertsen was seething. "How DARE she! Dictating to us like we were little children!" Bjorn Thorstad looked at him in alarm, checking hastily to be sure no one was in earshot. "Has she no respect for the valuable advice she receives from us. How are we to properly advise her if we do not meet regularly? Once a month for three hours, that's ridiculous."

"She dares because she is the Queen, and it is the monarch's prerogative to run Council meetings as they see fit." He tried to calm Reinertsen down. "Are you trying to get charged with treason? What's gotten into you?"

"She is not yet of age! She cannot dictate!" Reinertsen was not mollified by his colleague's attempts to talk sense into him. "The Council has control until her coronation!"

"Hmm...not quite, and you'd remember it if you were thinking rationally. She can't make arbitrary decisions, no, but the council needs 5 votes out of the 7 of us to override one of them. If she comes up with something wild, I suspect the five votes would be there, but I don't see that happening. Except for her ... reclusiveness, she seems to be fairly levelheaded for someone so young."

"So now you're one of her lickspittles like Naismith?" Reinertsen demanded.

"Hardly. But there is more than one way to kill a cat than drowning it in cream. Being a recalcitrant jackass is not going to get you where you want to go." Thorstad looked around. They were now in the town marketplace, and the normal afternoon crowd was bustling about. "This is no place for this kind of discussion. Why don't you join me for dinner tomorrow night? We can talk about better ways to ... influence the kingdom. In private."

* * *

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

"Okay, Your Royal Taskmistress Meanypants! So what exactly do you want me to do to become more Elsa-like?" Anna persisted in teasing her sister about 'Operation Make Anna Serious About Governing', as she referred to it.

Elsa simply rolled her eyes and blew out a breath that ruffled her fly-away bangs. "Anna, this isn't about me, or you, it's about Arendelle. Until one of us has children, YOU are all that stands between the kingdom and chaos if I'm gone."

Anna suddenly lost the humor in her voice. "I know that, Elsa. Honestly, I do. And I take it seriously. It's just, I remember how hard it was for you, and if I don't joke about it, I'll cry."

This admission touched Elsa. It was easy to forget that there were depths to Anna that she went to great lengths to disguise under her care-free demeanor. Elsa decided it was time to show Anna something that had been a family secret.

"Come on, I need to show you something. I think you'll like this, it's just the sort of thing that appeals to your mischievous nature." Elsa got up from her desk and extended her hand to Anna.

As they walked down the hall toward the library, Elsa casually said, "So speaking of children ... How are things between you and Kristoff?"

"Wait, what? That's one heck of a segue, Elsa! Where'd that come from?" Anna was so surprised she stopped walking, pulling her hand from Elsa's.

Elsa simply grabbed her hand and started moving down the hall again. "I like him. He's a man of integrity. He works hard, and I can see that he adores you. And...from what I can tell, you adore him. So, when can I expect the two of you to come to me and ask for my blessing?"

"Whoa, Elsa, that's kind of a personal question!" They had arrived at the library. Elsa closed the door and sat Anna down on the cushioned window bay, then sat beside her.

"Actually, it's not." Elsa looked at Anna, who squirmed a bit under the scrutiny. "Anna, I love you, you're my baby sister, and this would concern me just for that reason alone. But you're the Crown Princess as well. Which means not only is it my business as your Queen, but the business of the whole kingdom."

Elsa could tell that statement wasn't going over very well with Anna. "Anna, most royals don't have the luxury of a marriage of love. I think you and Kristoff will have such a marriage, if that's what you want. Certainly I'll do everything I can to make such a marriage possible for you, with Kristoff or someone else. But you have to know that there is pressure out there for us to marry and secure the succession to the throne."

"Now we're back to that 'heir and the spare' business! Phhtt!" Anna was working herself into a sulk pretty quickly. Elsa stroked her hand.

"Honey, that's what we were born to, unfortunately. If we were both men, they'd be pestering us to find some willing little Princesses and get busy making little royal babies. We didn't choose this, it chose us. We have to make the best of it. And Kristoff would make a good husband, I think." Elsa's sincerity broke through Anna's stubbornness.

"You do?" Anna asked shyly.

"Yes, I do. Have you two discussed this at all?" Elsa was proud of Anna; she and Kristoff behaved with all the propriety she could ask for in public-and in private, if she was any judge. She was pretty sure there would be no scandals, although she was also sure there was some discreet canoodling going on. She hoped so, at any rate. Anna deserved a canoodle or two. And Kristoff knew Elsa would freeze his ... ice cubes ... off if it went beyond canoodling.

"Well...we've kind of danced around it. I don't want to push him, and after that disaster with Hans, I needed to be sure in my own heart that it's not just giddy infatuation again." Elsa just nodded and squeezed Anna's hand in sympathy. "But ... I think Kristoff is afraid he's not good enough for me."

Elsa nodded a little grimly. "He's not the only one."

"Wait, Elsa, I thought you just said..." Anna was startled.

"Not me, Anna, but there are others out there in the nobility who think an ice harvester is not a suitable consort for the Crown Princess. They have other candidates, if not themselves then young men of 'good families'." Elsa looked at her sister. "That's why this wasn't quite as wild a segue as you thought it was. Political reality is something you need to be aware of every minute of every day. It's part of your education as my heir."

Elsa got up and pulled her sister up as well. "We'll talk more about this later. Right now, here's what I wanted to show you."

Elsa walked over to one of the bookshelves on the wall opposite the fireplace. She pulled over a small stool to stand on. On the third shelf from the ceiling, she counted carefully from the left, and tugged on the 17th book. It moved, but did not come out into her hand. Instead, there was a low grinding noise, and Anna whirled to see the bookshelf to the left of the fireplace swinging out, revealing a passageway behind it.

Elsa hopped off the stool, headed for the opening and called to Anna, "Come on!"

Elsa squeezed through the narrow opening, and once Anna had followed her, pulled down on a small lever on the wall next to the passageway. The bookshelf slid back into place, closing them in.

"What is this?" Anna asked as she looked down a narrow corridor. It seemed to parallel the hallway outside the door of the library.

Elsa smirked. "Every old castle has to have secret passageways!" She had conjured up a small flurry in her hand. The eerie blue glow was just enough light for them to walk slowly down the passage once their eyes had adjusted.

They walked a few yards to a 90 degree bend in the passage, then followed it further along. Eventually, they came to a small alcove with a chair and a small desk. Elsa stopped and let the light of her magic die out. Anna could see a small patch in the wall that seemed to be ... not transparent, but like a fine screen of linen or something similar. There was a dim light shining through the patch.

"Where are we now?"

"Outside the Royal Council Chambers." Elsa seemed lost in thought. "Papa made me 'attend' Council meetings from here before he ... left us. It was part of my education as his heir."

"Whoa, Elsa, did they know about this?"

"No. And no one outside the succession ever will. This needs to remain a secret, a Crown Secret. But it's time for you to know, even if you never use this." Elsa turned to her. "There is no reason I can't have you at the Council meetings openly. But it was different for me. Papa was protecting me, he knew I was too afraid of displaying my magic. But he also knew I needed to see the Council in action, to begin making judgments about the men who shared responsibility for Arendelle with the Crown."

"And did you? Make judgments, I mean."

"Of course I did-that was part of the lesson. After every meeting Papa would come to my room and we would discuss what I had heard. He made me explain what I thought before he said anything, he was always testing me. Especially about judging the Council members." Elsa reached for another small lever and pulled it down. Another grinding noise, another narrow opening appeared in the wall a few feet to their left. "Come on."

When they emerged into the Council Chamber, Elsa walked over to a lamp fixture and twisted it. The passageway closed, concealed by another tall bookshelf.

"Wow, Elsa, how many of the rooms have secret entrances?" Anna was wide eyed at the revelation her sister was showing her.

"Not that many. The library, this one, the Throne Room. There's also an exit to the outer curtain wall going up into the hills. That one's apparently for use if the castle is under siege and the royal family needed an escape route. Hasn't been any use for that one in centuries." Elsa was brushing dust off herself as she explained this. Anna followed her example, then sneezed.

"Gesundheit." Elsa chuckled. "I'll give you a map, but you have to memorize it, then burn it. You need to learn these passageways, especially that exit to the hills, by heart. Just in case."

"You are really into having plans to backup your plans to backup your backups. When did you get so paranoid?"

Elsa shot her a look with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know, maybe when I was eight and decided I was someone that could be hated and feared for my sorcery, and they'd burn me at the stake?"

Anna flinched. She hadn't been thinking before letting her mouth run off again. "Elsa, I'm sorry ..." Her sister stopped her with a raised hand.

"No, it's okay, but this is why I need to share all these lessons with you. Honey, you've been sheltered all your life. Protected. Too much, as it turned out. It left you vulnerable to being manipulated. You learned from your experience with Hans, but there is so much more to be wary of. As your sister, and as your Queen, the best way I know to protect you is to teach you how to spot the phonies and the toadies and the hidden agendas." Elsa's eyes were sad as she remembered Anna telling her about Hans' betrayal and how he had left her to die in the library.

"You'll always protect me!"

"Yes, unless something happened to take me away from you. I love you, but you need to be able to protect yourself, too."

"Point taken, oh Great and Powerful Worshipfulness!" Anna grabbed Elsa's arm and dragged her toward the room's door. "You can educate me some more tonight, but right now, it's dinner time!" A tummy rumble punctuated this declaration. A LOUD tummy rumble.

Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's antics. "Okay, but you're going to pay for that 'Great and Powerful' crack with extra homework tonight!"


	3. To Secure The Succession

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

After dinner, the Queen and her sister returned to Elsa's study to continue their discussion. Anna was almost bouncing with her eagerness to hear about Elsa's secret spying on the Royal Council.

"Okay, tell me all about it. When did Papa show you the secret passageways?"

"I was twelve the first time. He didn't have me observe all the meetings, at first he only had me watch if there was something to be discussed that I had studied recently with my tutors. 'Real World' he called it, to contrast with 'Book learning'."

Elsa dropped her voice timbre into a credible imitation of their father. " 'Elsa, books are important, but you need to understand how people act in the real world. The books are sanitized, you never get the whole story, the blood and the mud and the wreckage. And you certainly never get the loser's version of history! History books are written by the winners.' " Anna had to giggle at this impersonation; Elsa smiled back at her.

"By the time I was sixteen, he had me there for every one. I was old enough to pick up more of the subtle nuances of the discussion, and the interplay between the members of the Council." Elsa looked into the distance, remembering. "Sometimes it wasn't too subtle."

* * *

**** Flashback – August 1835 ****

Elsa sat in the secret alcove, listening to the argument going on in the Council Chambers with rapt attention. She couldn't be more focused if her life depended on it, and in a way it did. They were arguing about her and her sister Anna.

"Your Majesty! Shouldn't we be seeking out a good match for both girls? Princess Elsa is sixteen; her sister is thirteen, old enough for courtship and perhaps engagement to a suitable young man of good family." Anders Reinertsen was making his case with enthusiasm.

"No." A simple declarative from the King.

"But Your Majesty! The succession must be secured, for the good of Arendelle!" Reinertsen was not very perceptive when it came to reading the King's body language.

"The succession is secured. I have two daughters. Elsa is Crown Princess. When she ascends the throne after me, hopefully some years from now, her sister will become Crown Princess. Unless Elsa has married and born an heir of her own body by then." The King's voice was stern.

"Yes, an heir of her own body. Should we not be taking steps to insure that happy circumstance comes to pass?" Reinertsen just wasn't getting the unspoken message.

"I am the only arbiter of my daughters' welfare. I intend for them to marry, but I intend for them to marry for love, not the convenience of Arendelle. My wife and I were fortunate that our parents allowed us to fall in love before our marriage, I intend that same fortune for my children." Agdar went on, "When they are a little older, there will be time for them to meet with appropriate candidates for marriage, and make their own choices. Until then, this subject is closed."

"But, Your Majesty..." Reinertsen just couldn't let it go.

"I said, ENOUGH!" and the King stood and slapped the table for emphasis, glaring at Reinertsen. "I think we have covered all of our agenda items for today. This meeting is adjourned. You are dismissed."

The Council took the hint and vacated the meeting room with haste. When the king was sure he was alone, he called out softly, "Elsa?"

"Yes, Papa?" a very timid response came from behind one of the paintings on the wall.

"I'll meet you in your room in a few minutes, okay?" Agdar had not intended this particular topic to come up, and he knew it would upset Elsa. He needed to explain some things to her.

When the king knocked on Elsa's door a few minutes later, he was relieved to hear her say, "Come in." Sometimes, if she was in the grip of some strong emotion she would refuse. He had learned to accept those refusals.

His relief did not last longer than it took him to enter the room. His daughter was sitting on a chair next to her bed, trembling, and the walls were covered in frost. All he wanted to do was take her into his arms and comfort her, but he knew that would only cause her more pain. She hadn't let anyone touch her in years.

"Elsa, honey? It's okay. I know that discussion upset you. I wish you hadn't heard that, but it's probably time for you to start thinking about courtship and marriage." He was trying to soothe her with his voice; he had no other way to do so.

"I know, Papa, I know. But...how can I...when I...?" and she looked at her hands with such forlorn sadness that his heart broke.

"It will happen, honey. It will all work out." He prayed on his immortal soul that he wasn't lying to her. "Elsa?"

"Yes, Papa?"

"As upsetting as that was, it's important for you to understand that those men aren't the only ones who want to influence your marriage. Yours, and Anna's. It's just part of the political maneuverings that we are born to deal with. It's one topic you have to be very careful with. You'll always have to be wary of hidden agendas." He knew that there were always wolves circling young, vulnerable Princesses, looking to marry their way onto a throne. He needed to teach his daughters to see past the sheep's clothing.

"I'll always protect you, but you have to learn to protect yourself. And Anna."

Elsa simply looked up at her father and nodded. "I will, Papa. I'll always protect Anna."

It wasn't until later that he realized Elsa had said nothing about protecting herself.

* * *

**** Present Day – March 1841 ****

Anna just looked at her sister. "Oh, Elsa. So that's why you were so quick to tell me I couldn't marry Hans."

"Yes, Anna, it wasn't just because it was inappropriate; I had a sixth sense about him. He was handsome, charming, attentive, the perfect Prince for any Princess. Too perfect." Elsa remembered another session with her father after another council meeting. "Papa taught me that if something was too good to be true, it probably wasn't."

* * *

**** Flashback – July 1837 ****

Elsa was with her father after another contentious Council meeting. She had just celebrated her eighteenth birthday and was now legally an adult. He was proud of how she easily cut to the heart of every discussion, picking out the important points that could sometimes get buried in the trivial details.

"Elsa, I'd like to talk about the council members today. I've been impressed with your grasp of the issues we discuss, but the people are more important."

"Yes, Papa." Elsa had very little face to face contact with people, but she had developed a finely honed skill in reading body language and voice inflections. When you were afraid of everyone, exquisitely sensitive to their impressions of you, you learned to read behind the words and facial expressions very quickly.

"Who do you think is the most loyal on the Council?"

Elsa thought this over carefully. She never made snap judgments; she was methodical and precise. "The Admiral and Bishop Norgaard."

Her father gave no indication whether he agreed or disagreed with her. "Why?"

"They argue with you." Elsa said.

"That's ... intriguing. Why do you think that means they are loyal?" Agdar still maintained a neutral expression.

"Because if they were disloyal, they would be afraid to disagree with you. They wouldn't want to make you suspicious of them."

"And the others?"

Elsa thought for a minute. "I don't trust Anders Reinertsen. Or Bjorn Thorstad."

"Explain, please." prompted her father.

"Reinertsen never disagrees with you. He always seems to be trying to flatter you. He's subtle about it, but it's there. He even tries to mirror your body language. If you lean forward, he leans forward. If you cross your arms, so does he."

"And what about Thorstad?" The king could hardly control his pride in his daughter.

"I think he's more dangerous. He smiles, but it never reaches his eyes. He's more patient than Reinertsen, more subtle in the way he tries to ingratiate himself with you. Reinertsen occasionally slips and lets his temper show, Thorstad never does."

"Brava, my Princess! Brava!" Agdar applauded her. "That was brilliant! I am so proud of you, Elsa."

"Really?" She blushed at the praise. She loved both of her parents dearly, and his approval was a balm on her troubled soul.

"Really. You'll be a good Queen when it's your time." Agdar stood up. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

Two months later Elsa was the Queen.

* * *

**** Present Day – March 1841 ****

"So that's when you kicked Anders Reinertsen off the Council." Anna commented. "Wait, Bjorn Thorstad is still on the Council. I thought you didn't trust him?"

"Anders Reinertsen got kicked off the Council because he tried to line his own pockets in a trade deal with Weselton. That gave me a good reason to dismiss him from the Council. Bjorn Thorstad isn't so stupidly greedy. I feel uneasy about him, but it's only a feeling. On the surface, he is competent and diligent. He has done nothing that could be interpreted as an act of disloyalty. And he is politically well connected with the rest of the nobility. Papa didn't feel comfortable removing him, and **his **authority was respected and unquestioned." _'And mine wasn't.'_ went unspoken. Elsa's expression was grim again. "I'm still not sure enough about my judgment of him to do what Papa didn't."

* * *

**** Flashback - July, 1838 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Royal Council Chamber ****

Elsa had been Queen for 10 months. She had managed to attend 10 Council meetings without exposing her magic, although it had been a close-run thing on several occasions. This meeting was going to be another such trial.

Her interactions with Anders Reinertsen grew more acrimonious as time went by. The man was so in love with the sound of his own voice, so certain that his worldliness made him the perfect adviser for an inexperienced, naive Queen who was clearly in over her head, that he simply ignored Elsa on more than one occasion. He was skating close to a line that shouldn't be crossed and everyone knew it except him.

"Your Majesty, I must protest! This agreement with Weselton is of great advantage to Arendelle and if you were more experienced you would clearly see that!" Reinertsen was trying to keep alive an issue that Elsa had just vetoed. Again.

"What I clearly see, Mr. Reinertsen, is that this agreement would be of great advantage to Weselton, and CERTAIN interests here in Arendelle. It would most certainly NOT benefit the entire kingdom, but only certain pockets that would be lined with Weselton gold." Elsa was seething inside, her gloved hands clenched tightly in her lap where they couldn't be seen. _"Conceal it, Elsa. This man is your enemy, and he is trying to goad you into a mistake."_

There was no trace of this turmoil on her face, of course. They never saw her cry; that was something that only happened behind the closed and locked door of her room.

"Are you accusing me of trying to cheat Arendelle? I must protest! That is unconscionable!" It seemed like she had managed to goad him instead, however unwittingly she had done it. His face was so red and the veins stood out so starkly that she feared he would have a stroke right there in the Council room.

"I make no accusation, sir. I made an observation about this proposal. Are you admitting that it will be YOUR pockets being lined by Weselton?" Elsa's voice remained calm, but she realized he had let his ego lead him into a trap.

Naismith drawled, clearly amused at Reinertsen's apoplexy, "Yes, Anders. Her Majesty was speaking in generalities, and you seem to take it personally. Why, exactly would that be?"

Reinertsen turned to him in fury. "I resent that implication! That is a slur on my honor!"

Naismith purred, "It wasn't, but if you should feel the need to defend your honor, I would, of course, oblige."

Reinertsen's face went as pasty white as it had been bright red. He couldn't match Naismith in a duel; it would be a nightmare and could only result in his humiliation, if not death. He managed to gasp out a very shaky, "No, no I didn't mean for it to be taken that way."

Naismith looked at Reinertsen as though he was a wriggling creature he had found in his soup. "Oh good then, I am pleased your honor remains intact." He turned back to the head of the table. "Your Majesty?"

Elsa had been watching this byplay carefully, and realized she could exploit the advantage Reinertsen had given her to remove the troublesome meddler from the Council. _"Thank heavens for the huge egos of small men," _crossed her mind.

"Anders Reinertsen, in light of your ... unwillingness to put Arendelle's benefit ahead of your own avarice, I no longer require your services on this Council. Please leave. Now." Elsa could have been asking for a second cup of tea after dinner for all the emotion in her voice.

Shaking and speechless with rage Reinertsen stamped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The other members of the Council, except for Naismith, seemed to find the ceiling tiles compellingly fascinating. The Admiral simply smiled at Elsa. She nodded her thanks.

"Gentlemen, I think our business here is finished for the day. I will entertain suggestions at our next meeting for candidates to fill the vacancy just created. Please circulate the curriculum vitae of anyone you think would be suitable to all of us at least one week prior to the meeting. Now, if you will excuse me, I find myself ... fatigued." Elsa just wanted this day to end.

She managed to get all the way back to her room without running this time. She dropped her gloves on the bed, picked up the vase on her bedside table and threw it with all her strength to shatter against the wall. When she looked around she found the walls covered with icy spikes. _ "Well, that's something new."_ she thought. _"That must be what anger looks like."_

* * *

**** Present Day – March 1841 ****

"I never heard **why** Anders Reinertsen was kicked off the council. I thought it was just because you got tired of him, not that he was double-dealing for Weselton." Anna was impressed with her sister's account.

"It's not something you would want as common knowledge. We had no proof, after all. The damn fool condemned himself. Fortunately, their discretion held. No one wanted to gossip about it." Elsa's face was stone, but her hands were trembling at the memory of her rage that day.

"That had to be the worst day of your life!"

Elsa looked at her sister and smiled wanly. "No, honey, even then it was only third worst. Now? Not even in the top five." She went on, "I find myself in need of chocolate or something. Join me?" Elsa held out a hand to Anna. "I could use the company."

Anna just nodded. They left the study in search of snacks. First snacks, then bed. It had been a long day.


	4. Singer to Ducklings

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

"Elsa, I never quite understood why you had considered abdicating." Anna and Elsa were continuing the conversation that had started in Elsa's study. "You've talked about it a little, several times. But it seemed a little ... drastic." They were sitting comfortably on the floor in front of the fireplace.

The two women had moved back to the library after a quick raid on the kitchen. A fire crackled cheerfully in the fireplace and the remnants of their pre-bedtime snack was on the floor between them, tea cups sticky with sugary dregs and plates of cake crumbs silent witness to a sweet tooth being indulged.

Elsa sighed. "I was despondent, Anna. Overwhelmed. Mama and Papa were gone, I had no one to lean on." A guilty glance at her sister. "It was a desperate act for a desperate girl."

Anna huffed in exasperation. She wouldn't replay all the conversations they had already had about the awful decision making that had left Elsa alone and afraid. There was nothing new to be said on **that** topic.

"I'm just glad you didn't go through with it. Why didn't you? Although I doubt making me the Queen would have improved the situation very much." This last sentence had a bitter taste in Anna's mouth.

"Anna, you know better than that! If something were to happen to me, Arendelle would be left in good hands...your hands." Elsa was often galled by Anna's self-deprecation.

"I didn't do it because of you, but not for that reason." Elsa went on. "I didn't do it because if I abdicated, I became nothing and no one, entirely powerless. And you would have been left with no one to protect you-from anything, not just my magic."

Anna was startled. "What do you mean? Why would I need protection?"

"Think, Anna. You were fifteen, not even legally an adult. Mama and Papa were gone, I would be off somewhere in self-imposed exile ... or worse. They would have appointed a Regent for you. Even then I didn't trust the Council to do the right thing. Who knows who they would have appointed? You would have been at the mercy of men whose first thoughts would have been for how they could manipulate you to their own benefit."

Elsa took her sister's hand. "I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't trust anyone else to care about you, about Anna. You were my baby sister, and I couldn't abandon you to strangers, to become a pawn in their games of arranged marriages 'to insure the succession'. No matter what it cost me." Elsa's eyes were bright with unshed tears. Anna moved close and wrapped her in a hug.

"I burned the draft declaration of abdication that I had written. Then I called the Admiral in, and asked for his help in building ... my alternative." Elsa was alluding to the dungeon she had built as a remedy if her magic had created an extreme danger to the kingdom.

Anna just hugged her closer. "You and your selfless self-sacrifice." She was trying to tease Elsa out of her mood. "Saint Joan has nothing on you. You would let them burn you at the stake if you thought it was the right thing to do, wouldn't you?"

Elsa smiled at her sister. "Well ... I love you."

"Of course you do! Who is more lovable than me? The bearer of chocolates, builder of snowmen, singer to ducklings!" Anna fell into a melodramatic pose, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead, nose in the air. Elsa had to giggle at this display.

"Okay, singer to ducklings. I think we've had enough tea and cake for one evening. One of us has an early meeting. Oh, wait, BOTH of us have an early meeting!" Elsa smirked at Anna. It was another exercise in providing the younger woman experience in governing. Anna would be attending her first Royal Council meeting tomorrow.

Anna flopped onto her back, arms splayed. "Ohhhh, no! I had forgotten about that! Elsa, this succession planning thing is going to do me in with all these early meetings. Why can't we have meetings at a civilized hour, like maybe noon?"

"Anna, not all the lessons can be me just talking while you eat!" Elsa laughed as she helped her sister to her feet. "Let's go, sleepy head. It won't be long before you have to rise and shine!"

"I'll rise, but I most definitely won't shine, my sovereign spoilsport!" Anna grumbled at her sister's teasing.

Arm and arm, they went off to their rooms.

* * *

**** July, 1838 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Estate of Bjorn Thorstad ****

"You fool! You unmitigated, stupid, hot-headed, bloody FOOL! What in the hell did you think you were going to accomplish with that stunt?" Thorstad was berating Anders Reinertsen in a fashion that made him squirm. "You're lucky Naismith didn't challenge you just on general principles!"

Reinertsen paced back and forth, his anger just intensified by the tongue-lashing. "She infuriates me! A mere slip of a girl! Inexperienced! What misfortune left this kingdom with a naive, empty-headed princess to rule it!"

Thorstad snorted in derision. "You are a fool. That 'empty-headed slip of a girl' has seen through every one of your schemes so far. She has an even better sense than her father for a deal that is not to Arendelle's advantage and a truly delicate sense of smell for the slightest whiff of peculation. And now you've gotten yourself removed from the Council for your troubles. Truly genius!" He turned to the sideboard and poured a drink.

"Here! Drink this! Sit, and calm down enough for us to figure a way to salvage something from this mess!" Thorstad made another drink for himself and sat in a comfortable chair opposite Reinertsen. He let the man fume and drink until he might be able to listen to reason.

"This will cost me a fortune! The humiliation of being tossed from the council like yesterday's stale bread!" Reinertsen continued in this vein until Thorstad cut him off.

"Shut up. Just shut up. Most of your money comes from trade with Weselton, and the Duke doesn't give a fig about Arendelle politics. He'd do business with a reindeer if it meant profit for him." Thorstad continued, "and you ducked the humiliation of being dead at Naismith's sword. For a moment I was afraid you were insane enough to challenge him."

This last comment finally broke Reinertsen's rage. He deflated at the vision of dying on the field of honor. A shudder, and he gulped the last dregs of the fine whiskey in his glass. He rose to refill it.

Returning to his seat, he admitted to his confederate, "You're right. I let my emotions overwhelm my common sense."

Thorstad suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, you did. Now what are we going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" Reinertsen was confused.

This time Thorstad did roll his eyes. "Think, Anders! We've been trying to work out a way to get a young, pliable Princess Anna on the throne. Young, pliable, under the influence of a strong, mature man to guide her, perhaps marry her. Ready to step up to the task of helping her rule a kingdom should something ... untoward ... happen to her older, unapproachable, invisible sister."

Thorstad got up and refilled his whiskey glass. Returning to his chair, he leaned back, looked at the ceiling, and mused, "Now, who should we be recruiting to replace you?"

Reinertsen quieted down with a thoughtful scowl on his face. Thorstad's own thoughts, however, were elsewhere. He wondered why Queen Elsa's mere existence seemed to enrage the man. Even before the King died, he had dismissed her and her sister as mere irritants, though superficially he seemed to imagine himself a suitable consort. Thorstad wasn't sure if it was simply contempt for women in positions of power or something else. Reinertsen's lack of a noble title could be provoking such an extreme reaction as well. Thorstad knew it chafed at the man, like an itch he couldn't scratch.

Such foibles made a man easy to manipulate. Thorstad sipped his drink and considered his next steps while Reinertsen rambled on about someone he thought would be sympathetic to their positions.

* * *

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Royal Council Chamber ****

Elsa suppressed the urge to glance at the door for the hundredth time. Anna was late again. Sometimes Elsa just wanted to throttle some common sense into her, as if she hadn't failed to do so the last fifty times she had tried.

The Council was beginning to get restless; Elsa was so punctual that they could set their pocket watches when she walked into the room to start the meeting. Any delay was noteworthy.

A flurry at the door and Anna came bustling in, out of breath. She looked a bit disheveled. Clearly she had been singing to ducklings or something equally frivolous when she had realized the time. Elsa simply waved her to the chair next to her own. They would discuss this breach of good manners later.

"Gentlemen, I would like to introduce Crown Princess Anna to those of you who may not have previously had the pleasure of her acquaintance. As my Heir, she will be attending these meetings on occasion." Elsa managed to keep a smile plastered on her face during this introduction.

"Your Highness." The seven men around the table rose and bowed to Anna, who blushed and gave them a little wave of acknowledgment. Protocol usually flustered her; this was no exception.

"Very well, then. The first item on our agenda today..." and Elsa moved briskly into the business at hand.

Three hours later, Elsa adjourned the meeting. Bishop Norgaard and Admiral Naismith stopped to exchange a few pleasantries with Anna before they left. She was no stranger to the two of them and they tended to deal with her like indulgent uncles would with a spirited young woman like her.

The other members of the Council were content to simply bow and murmur "Your Highness" as they left. Except for Bjorn Thorstad. He seemed to rustle his papers as though arranging them until the Bishop and the Admiral had finished talking to Anna. The Admiral had been pulled aside by Elsa for some discussion as the Bishop left. Anna simply stood looking around the room, focusing on one of the paintings on the wall for some reason.

Thorstad approached her. "Your Highness! May I say how utterly delightful your presence was today. It certainly livened up the mundane business of the Royal Council." He smiled pleasantly.

Anna was somewhat chagrined. She had 'livened up' the proceedings by knocking over a water pitcher and soaking Elsa. Who was able, fortunately, to simply freeze the water and whisk it away into the ether with a few waves of her hand. While shooting a look at Anna that promised retribution in some form Anna would not enjoy.

"Thank you, Baron Thorstad? I believe?" Anna extended her hand and was somewhat thrown off guard when he took it and kissed it while bowing gallantly to her. She had expected a simple handshake. She blushed.

"That is correct, Your Highness. I look forward to seeing you again. I am sure that watching the Council in action will be most educational for you." He bowed again and took his leave. Anna watched him go, puzzled a bit by the exchange.

Elsa had been watching this interplay over the Admiral's shoulder while she was talking with him. The Admiral caught the intensity of her gaze and took a quick look to see what was drawing her attention. Hmm. Interesting. Bjorn Thorstad was on a very short, very personal list that the Admiral kept in his head and shared with no one.

"Your Majesty?" Elsa had finished talking and was simply frowning distractedly. She shook herself and looked up at the Admiral.

"Thank you, Admiral. I will be looking for your report on those raiders within the week, then?" There had been some pirates raiding in the waters near Arendelle recently, and the Royal Arendelle Navy was looking for their bases to root them out. It was the primary focus of the Royal Arendelle Navy. Maritime trade was the lifeblood of the kingdom, and pirates were bad for business. The surrounding kingdoms appreciated the efforts as they benefited as well.

"You may count on it, Your Majesty." Naismith bowed to her and left.

Elsa walked over to Anna. Her anger had been momentarily suppressed and replaced with curiosity. Anna had a distracted look on her face, and she was rubbing the back of one hand.

"Anna? What was that all about?" Elsa meant the conversation with Thorstad.

"I'm not sure. It was ... weird ... and a little creepy." Anna suddenly looked sheepish. "Elsa, I'm so sorry I knocked over that water pitcher on you! I was just thirsty, honest, and I thought ... " Elsa cut her off.

"Don't worry about that. But we need to discuss the common courtesy of being punctual to meetings." Elsa had her stern Big Sister face on, and was using her stern Big Sister voice. Anna shuddered inside. At least it wasn't her Snow Queen voice. THAT one had been known to reduce brave men to tears.

The lecture lasted all the way to the dining room and through the noon meal. Anna couldn't remember the last time Elsa had gotten this worked up over her tardiness and she smarted under the reprimands.

* * *

After lunch, Anna went off to find Kristoff and Sven. It was only March, and there was enough snow on the ground that selling ice wasn't a very lucrative business right now. Kristoff spent time working on Ice Guild business, but she knew that he had planned to spend the afternoon with her.

She found Olaf in the castle courtyard, playing with some of the children of the staff. This time of year he didn't need his personal flurry to keep from melting.

"Hi, Olaf! Have you seen Sven and Kristoff?" Anna asked the little snowlem.

"Anna! Hi! I haven't seen you in a couple of days! Have you been having fun?" Olaf ran up to her and threw his twiggy arms wide to hug her.

"Oh, yeah, Olaf! Elsa and I have been having lots of fun. Not as much as we would with you, but..." She returned the hug with enthusiasm. "Sven? Kristoff?" Olaf's attention span was short.

"Yeah. They're in town. Kristoff said something about hot chocolate at the inn. Not sure why. Sven prefers carrots."

Anna had to laugh at her little friend's confusion. "Okay, thanks. Want to come with me?"

"Nope. The children and I are going to build some more snowmen. We're going to pretend they're an army to fight off Weaseltown, like last fall." Anna frowned a little at the memory. Elsa had to personally fight off an attack by a fleet sent by the Duke of Weselton.

It had taken Elsa by surprise, both the attack and the emotional aftermath that came with creating her own small army of snow golems. The night after the attack, Anna had to nurse Elsa through an emotional collapse from the stress of using her snow powers to fight off an enemy army. Then Elsa had a crisis of conscience when she realized that Olaf, Marshmallow and the new snowlems were truly living, sentient beings that she had created with her magic. This understanding of her ability almost overwhelmed her with its stunning scope.**[A/N: See Below]**

"Okay, Olaf! I'll see you when I get back!" and Anna went out the castle gate to find Kristoff.

"Hi, Feisty Pants!" Kristoff was where she expected to find him, at the Inn where they often met for coffee or hot chocolate. She had ruffled Sven's fur to say hello when she saw him tied up outside. He wriggled in pleasure and brayed a greeting at her.

"Hi, Kristoff! Been waiting for me long?" She took off her winter cloak and hung it on a peg on the wall, then sat down next to him at the small table. The scents of the various beverages and dainties available filled the air and tempted her to order a second lunch dessert. Or an early dinner dessert. Or just a treat because it was Tuesday.

"Nope. Maybe 15 minutes. Let me order something? What would you like? Tea, coffee, glogg, or hot chocolate?"

"Hmm...I think I'll stick to hot chocolate." Anna said.

Kristoff just laughed and shook his head. "I should have guessed that."

Later, as they were finishing their second cup, Anna decided to bring up the topic Elsa had shocked her with yesterday.

"Kristoff? Do you ever think about the succession?"

"Succession to what?" Kristoff was thinking about how lovely Anna's hair was in the light of the afternoon sun coming through the window. How the golden light brought out the freckles on her perfect skin. How he could sit here forever drinking in that lovely vision of Anna.

"The throne." Anna spoke a little louder. "Are you listening to me?"

Kristoff came back from his daydream. "Uh, yeah. Of course. What throne?"

Anna just sighed. "Elsa's throne. Remember? Crown Princess? Stuck with it if anything happens to Elsa? THAT throne."

Kristoff had to admit to himself that he hadn't thought about it. "Ah, what brought that on?" Why was Anna thinking about it? Was she hinting at something?

Anna sighed again and looked melancholy. "Elsa was teaching me about political reality, and it led to a long discussion about royal duties and succession planning and heirs and spares and all that stuff. About how she and I are nothing but brood mares to men seeking power. Like Hans."

The mention of that name caused Kristoff to clench his fist in reaction. He would have punched that bastard into the fjord just on general principles if Anna hadn't claimed first right. Sometimes, when he was trying to split a particularly hard block of ice, he just visualized the creep's face on the block, and it was amazing how much more force suddenly seemed to appear for swinging his pickax.

"You're not a brood mare to me." Kristoff said earnestly.

"Really? I guess that's good." Anna didn't look very impressed. She supposed she didn't want to thought of that way, but Kristoff still didn't seem to be taking this seriously. "Heaven forbid you would think about being the father of my children."

"Children?" Kristoff squeaked, wondering were that idea had come from.

"You do want to have children right?" She looked at him sharply.

"Wait, what children? That's not what I meant." Kristoff was digging his hole deeper by the sentence. How had they gotten into this conversation?

"The children we would have after we got married!" Anna huffed.

"Married? Who said anything about getting married?" Kristoff dug faster. Every time he tried to imagine asking Anna to marry him, he failed. Why would a princess marry an ice harvester?

"Apparently not us!" Anna wasn't sure why she was angry. This wasn't the conversation she wanted to have with Kristoff, she wanted a calm, deliberate discussion about the two of them and what their future held. But her emotions were still raw from the lecture Elsa had delivered, she hadn't gotten enough sleep and she just wasn't thinking straight.

She stood up, grabbed her cloak from its peg, and was gone in a whirl of pink wool before Kristoff could say anything more. He followed her out the door, but she was heading toward the castle with such determination that by the time he had gone back in and gotten his own jacket, she was too far away for him to catch up.

He just stood there next to Sven, looking toward the castle, jacket in hand. "What just happened?"

Sven shrugged. _"I wasn't there, buddy. You'll have to fill me in."_

* * *

**Author's Note: For the whole story about that attack by Weselton, please see my story 'Protector of the Dominion'**_  
_


	5. None Dare Call It Treason

**** October, 1839 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Estate of Bjorn Thorstad ****

Monsieur Robin Sylvain Pierre was a guest of Baron Bjorn Thorstad. He had a faint Gallic accent and an air of Continental sophistication. Mingling with the other guests of the Baron after a fine dinner, his witty rejoinders and easy manners of a gentleman made him the center of attention. Arendelle was, after all, only a minor realm on the fringe of the great conflicts that had torn Europe apart over the last fifty years. It was eye-opening for the gentry and minor nobility of such a rustic kingdom to rub elbows with visitors such as Pierre.

Thorstad had become acquainted with Pierre while on holiday. He had been sampling a fine repast at a coffeehouse/inn on the Continent, and struck up a conversation. Monsieur Pierre had described himself as a homme d'affaires, that is, a man of business.

"I trade, Monsieur Thorstad. Import, export, whatever goods seem to be in fashion. I have heard of your kingdom of Arendelle from the Duke of Weselton. He speaks highly of the profit he makes there, and it is good fortune that I have made your acquaintance. I had thought to travel there and see what business opportunities there might be for one such as I." he explained. "It will be good to have a local contact to ease the way for a stranger."

"Men such as we can make good fortunes together, N'est-ce pas?" Pierre said as he clinked glasses with his new-found business associate.

Among the other guests was the Duke of Weselton, their common associate. He would occasionally travel to visit his major trade partners and look after business personally. Arendelle was growing to be one of his most important trading interests. It happened that an 'inexperienced mere slip of a girl' had a fine sense for policies that grew Arendelle's economy. Her father's reign had already increased both external trade and internal growth, but Elsa's continuation of his policies, enhanced with her own ideas, had led to unprecedented prosperity. She was a popular monarch to the people of Arendelle as a result, even as she stayed reclusive, almost unseen.

"So, Weselton, will you be back anytime soon?" Thorstad was chatting with the Duke as they enjoyed a very fine after-dinner cognac, a guest-gift brought by Pierre to honor his host. It was exceedingly smooth going down, and may have loosened the Duke's tongue a bit.

"Not until the coronation next summer. Getting too late in the year for comfortable travel, and come spring I'll make the rounds before ending up here for the big celebration." The Duke was a wizened, pretentious little man with a bad toupee. "Do you think they'll finally open the gates, hmm? What do you think the royal family has been hiding all these years? Is that girl deformed or sickly, or is someone else running the kingdom and she merely a puppet?"

Anders Reinertsen had joined them and snorted, "She's certainly not deformed. Rather pretty, in a vapid sort of way. And she is no one's puppet, although she certainly isn't up to the standards of her father." His antipathy for Elsa had only grown since his humiliation at her hands, and now bordered on ill-concealed hatred.

Thorstad ignored the jape; he had listened to Reinertsen's rants about Elsa for too long and could quote them verbatim. The Duke seemed intrigued, though. "Really, Anders? If she's not a puppet, are there any prospects for a Prince Consort in the picture anytime soon? I'm sure she would appreciate the help of a strong husband to rule this kingdom."

"Not bloody likely. Hard to court a woman who only appears for a few hours a month. And then only at rigidly scripted events like the council meetings or invocations by the Bishop as the fleet sails in the spring." Reinertsen took another sip of his cognac. "Say, this is fine liquor. We don't get its like around here very often. I need to talk to this Pierre and see if my trading house could set up a franchise for regular import." He wandered off toward the group being regaled by Pierre with some uproarious joke.

Alone again, the Duke looked archly at Thorstad. "Not bloody likely, hmm? What do you think?"

Thorstad casually looked around to be sure no one was in earshot. He murmured, "As much as I hate to admit it, Anders is probably right. She could be a cloistered nun for all the contact she has outside of the Council. And she seems to display all the interest of a nun in the more earthly pleasure that might be found in a consort, especially one of the princely variety. She's a cold one. I'm not sure I can remember ever seeing her smile."

The Duke nodded. "What about the sister? Any opportunities there?"

Thorstad mulled that over a bit before replying. "Possible. The girl is far more flighty than the Queen. She isn't seen outside the castle very often, but when she is, it's clear she's a friend to all and eager for friendship in return. Her clumsy exuberance is indulged by her keepers. She is innocent, naive, sheltered. Only fifteen when the parents went on that voyage and never came back. I suspect her father didn't have enough time to teach her all the ways worldly men would seek to exploit her charms."

"Wouldn't the Queen protect her?"

"Perhaps. Although for all we know, she might be glad to turn her over to a husband and wash her hands of the responsibility. Consider, the more children trailing around after the Princess, the less pressure on the Queen to seek out what might be an unpleasant prospect of marriage. The succession would pass through the Princess Anna, and the Queen would be free to indulge herself in whatever dalliance caught her fancy."

The two men considered this in silence. The Duke finally spoke up. "So, the Princess Anna may be longing for a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and out from under the repressive hand of an uncaring sister. The right Prince Charming, who would be grateful to the benefactors who were able to introduce him to such a vivacious young woman."

"What are you thinking, Your Grace?" Thorstad asked.

"I may know just the Prince Charming. My next stop is the Southern Isles. They'll be getting an invitation to witness the Coronation next summer. A word in the right ear, and I may be able to influence who they send, like a handsome, charming Prince who is thirteenth in line for his own kingdom, and might be very interested in a naive girl who would ascend a throne if something happened to remove her sister." The Duke smirked at his own cleverness. "And who would show his gratitude for an introduction with favorable terms on trade agreements, once he was Consort to a Queen."

Thorstad imagined he could hear the coins clinking in the Duke's brain as he counted the profits in this vision. _"Somehow, Your Grace, I don't think it will be quite that easy." _

* * *

**** May, 1840 - Kingdom of the Southern Isles - Villa of the Duke of Weselton ****

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, may I present Baron Bjorn Thorstad of Arendelle?" The Duke of Weselton had rented a very nice villa for his spring sojourn in the Southern Isles.

Thorstad had arranged a holiday for himself, and 'just happened' to run into his old friend the Duke while visiting the Southern Isles. Their plans for increased wealth and influence in Arendelle could not be entrusted to easily compromised mail packets. Seemingly casual meetings filled the void. This was the first meeting to include Prince Hans, thirteenth in line for the throne of the Kingdom of the Southern Isles.

"You Highness, may I say how delighted I am to finally make your acquaintance?" Thorstad shook his hand as he said this. "The Duke speaks highly of your ready wit and charm with the young ladies of the court."

Thorstad had to admit the man certainly looked the part; he was tall and handsome, with the sculpted features and bearing that swept young women off their feet into a swoon of delight. He wondered if this prince had any brains to match his beauty, or was he simply the runt of another inbred royal litter?

Several hours later, after drinks, dinner, and more drinks, Thorstad was convinced the Prince was no empty tunic. He had a keen mind, with a bent toward advancing himself onto a throne. Clearly he relished the opportunity the Duke and Thorstad laid in front of him.

"Gentlemen, a toast to our endeavor! May this be the beginning of a long and profitable partnership!" the Duke raised his glass, and the other two men followed in agreement.

"So, Hans...does the idea of wooing our Princess appeal to you?" Thorstad asked.

"Indeed, Bjorn, it does." They had become chummy over the drinks. "I have one question, however."

"Do go on, Hans." Thorstad wondered what the question would be.

"While I foresee no difficulties in charming the Princess Anna, won't her sister be an obstacle? More pointedly, won't her sister's advisers be an obstacle? You mention this Admiral Naismith as being fiercely loyal to House Arendelle. Might he be disruptive of a budding romance between the Princess and a foreign prince?"

A most cogent question, indeed! Thorstad was impressed with Hans' insight.

Naismith was a worry that kept niggling at Thorstad; he knew the old man watched over the two women like a mother bear would her cubs. He had a feisty Navy and several regiments of humorless Marines to back him up. The armed forces of Arendelle took their cues from their leadership. Loyalty to the throne was unquestioned, and a fierce protectiveness toward their reclusive Queen was the norm. It was amazing, really, considering how infrequently she appeared in public. The gentle charisma Elsa projected baffled Thorstad. For some reason, her people loved her. On those very rare occasions when they actually saw her they cheered their Queen with unabashed enthusiasm. Acclaim she would acknowledge with brief waves, blushes, and the barest hint of a smile.

"Your point is well taken, Hans. Any suggestions?"

"The Coronation will attract dignitaries from all of northern Europe. Ships will arrive and depart carrying nobility and lesser royalty to honor the Queen of Arendelle. Ships that would make attractive prey for ... pirates. Pirates that the Arendelle Navy goes to great lengths to destroy on a routine basis." Hans was smiling. Thorstad wondered where he was going with this.

Continuing, Hans said, "Suppose that 'pirate' activity increased in the days leading up to the planned festivities. And further suppose, my dear Duke, that when you arrived in Arendelle, you went to the Naval authorities and reported that your trade fleets had picked up rumors of a nefarious plot for attacks on the guests?" A smug smile on his face showed Hans approved of his own idea.

Thorstad had to admit the idea had merit. Yes, much merit indeed.

"My boy, you are a genius!" the Duke was effusive in his praise. Hans preened.

* * *

**** July 13, 1840 - Evening - Kingdom of Arendelle, Estate of Bjorn Thorstad ****

The Baron mingled with his guests. On the eve of the Coronation of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, everyone of means was either throwing a party or attending one. He had scored somewhat of a coup by snagging the Duke of Weselton and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles for his gathering, along with Monsieur Pierre, Anders Reinertsen, and Torbjørn Solheim. Solheim had replaced Reinertsen on the Royal Advisory Council. He was a political ally, but not privy to the more ... sensitive ... plans shared by Thorstad and the Duke.

Prince Hans charmed the group. He and Pierre were excellent foils, throwing entertaining jests and stories back and forth like skilled jugglers. The two of them kept the laughter flowing as freely as the liquor.

Sometime after the crowd had thinned, Thorstad, the Duke and Prince Hans shared cognac on the patio. Pierre remained inside, regaling those who remained with delightful stories of European court intrigues.

"Well, big day tomorrow, hey my boy?" the Duke jogged Hans with an elbow. The brief look of annoyance that flitted across his face was invisible in the dim lantern light. Hans smiled to cover his irritation. He was not the pliant boy the Duke thought he was. At the last ditch, he was his own man, seeking only that which would benefit Prince Hans.

"Yes, Your Grace. I am looking forward to the entire affair." Hans replied.

"And the navy sailed this afternoon. Excellent intelligence you brought to us, Your Grace! Arendelle thanks you!" Thorstad chuckled to the Duke.

"Yes, indeed. Gentlemen, a toast! To the Queen! May her gates remain open, that we may exploit her riches!" The Duke was completely oblivious to the double entendre of his words. Hans and Thorstad simply rolled their eyes as they clinked glasses with the venal little man.

* * *

**** July 13, 1840 - Afternoon - Kingdom of Arendelle, Queen Elsa's Study ****

"Your Majesty." Admiral Mikael Naismith bowed to his Queen.

"You asked to see me, Admiral?" She inquired.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I regret that I will be unable to attend your Coronation Ceremony tomorrow. We have received reports from several of the ships arriving for your Coronation that there is increased pirate activity in the area. More worrisome is news brought to us by the Duke of Weselton. He informs us that there are rumors that this activity is a precursor to a series of attacks on the ships of your guests as they return to their home ports after the celebration."

This news was disconcerting to her, to say the least. "So you intend to take the fleet to sea to prevent such attacks?"

"Exactly so, Your Majesty. It would hardly reflect well on Arendelle's hospitality if we allowed our guests to be attacked after they were so gracious as to help us celebrate the coronation of our young Queen." He was unsurprised that she had immediately drawn the correct conclusion from his statements. His observation of her actions over the last three years made it clear to him that she possessed a mind of quick wit and keen intelligence.

"I am sorry that you will not be here, Admiral, but I appreciate your attention to duty. Arendelle is fortunate to have such men as you in her service." The Queen was sincere in this sentiment. She knew that he could be counted on to perform his duty even if he found it repugnant. The dungeon episode had proven that to her.

"If I may be so presumptuous, Queen Elsa, may I say that your example of attention to duty is one that inspires all of us. I truly do regret that I will not be here tomorrow to honor you." He bowed deeply to take his leave.

"Thank you, Admiral. I appreciate your saying so, but I am only doing what is to be expected of someone with the responsibility of leading a kingdom." Elsa blushed slightly. She wasn't used to receiving such compliments, and she really didn't see anything extraordinary about her focus on her duty.

He simply nodded and left to take command of the fleet. No one would interfere with the coronation of Queen Elsa if the Royal Arendelle Navy had anything to say about it.


	6. Bringing Back Summer

**** July 15, 1840 - Dawn - Aboard Her Majesty's Ship **_**King Agdar**_**,  
Flagship of the Royal Arendelle Navy ****

Admiral Mikael Naismith was being shaken awake by his steward. "Sir, Sir! Come quick, Admiral! The Captain needs you on deck! Something terrible is happening!"

Throwing on enough uniform to maintain his dignity, Naismith ran from his cabin to the quarterdeck. The Captain of his flagship was pacing with some agitation, and there seemed to be more activity on deck than was normal for the morning watch.

"Captain Halvorsen, what is it? Are we under attack?" A quick scan of the surrounding waters didn't seem to show any hostile ships.

"No, sir. But we have received word from one of the dispatch ships from the squadron closer to Arendelle that the sea there has frozen over and there seems to be a blizzard howling over the kingdom!" Halvorsen was shaken. Frozen seas and blizzards were nothing new to the Royal Arendelle Navy, but it was the middle of JULY!

"What?!" Naismith was stunned by this news. He immediately realized what had to be causing this freak weather phenomenon, and his heart sank. The Queen!

"Set a course for Arendelle immediately, Captain." he ordered. "Just the _Agdar_; order the rest of the squadron to continue their patrol schedule."

"Aye, aye, Sir! But we won't be able to make port; the inshore squadron is frozen in place, the ice is too thick. It was lucky one of the dispatch ships was able to break free as the ice was forming."

"Nonetheless. Get us as close as possible. We need more information. Order the dispatch ship to accompany us." Naismith replied to his shaken subordinate.

"Aye, Aye, Sir! Bos'n! Set course for Arendelle! All hands, set all plain sail!" The Captain gave the orders and the ship's company scrambled to obey. The familiar routine settled them down.

Naismith returned to his cabin to finish dressing. His face gave no indication of his churning emotions as he considered what could have happened to cause the Queen to create such a freak ice storm. It could only have been something bad. Very bad.

* * *

**** July 15, 1840 - Arendelle Castle ****

"Well, that was quite a surprise." A dry comment from Bjorn Thorstad to the Duke of Weselton.

He and several other coronation guests were sitting in the library of the castle in front of a fireplace. A summer day in July had suddenly been plunged into a swirling blizzard.

It seemed that the reason the Queen had been such a reclusive figure was that she had been concealing magic powers that could create ice and snow. A secret she had revealed at the ball last night in a confrontation with her sister. A rather spectacular confrontation and magic display that ended when Elsa fled across the fjord. A fjord that froze as her feet touched it. Unfortunately, the ice spread and snow began to fall as she disappeared into the hills. It was already a foot deep.

"She almost killed me!" The little man was as agitated as a cat who had been dropped in the fjord.

"Slipping on some ice does not constitute being killed," Thorstad shot back. "Where is Prince Hans?"

"He is off on some wild-goose chase to find Princess Anna! Who does he think he is? He threatened me with a charge of treason!" The Duke's indignation had him sputtering.

Thorstad looked around. He and the Duke were far enough away from the other dignitaries huddled around the fireplace that they could not be overheard. He spoke in low tones, nonetheless.

"He thinks he is the Prince Charming that swept the Crown Princess off her feet with a proposal of marriage. And that he was left in charge of the kingdom when she went haring off after that sister of hers on some insane quest to rescue her." Thorstad hissed. "Now shut up. This is actually working out better for us than we ever dreamed. The Queen is gone, the Princess is now in charge, she delegated her authority to the man she has declared she wants to marry. And if neither of the sisters ever returns, well ..."

The Duke stopped sputtering. He hadn't thought of that.

* * *

**** July 17, 1840 - Aboard Her Majesty's Ship **_**King Agdar**_** ****

The _Agdar_ had been sailing in futile circles for almost a day. They could see the castle from here, but they couldn't get any closer. The ice sheet was too thick.

That is to say, they should have been able to see the castle from here, if it weren't for the blizzard that had gotten stronger since last night. Visibility was down to almost nothing. The ice sheet kept creeping further out, forcing the _Agdar_ to back off to remain free of it. The wind was so strong they had reefed in even the minimal sail they had set, and it was still moving the ship almost too fast for safety in these conditions.

As the wind rose, the Admiral's spirits sank. He could only imagine what was going on back in Arendelle, and none of his imaginings were of happy things. His concern for the Queen's well-being only grew. He knew her magic would reflect her emotions, and if this storm was any indication she was in terrible danger. He seethed that he could do nothing to help her.

"Ahoy the deck! Do you see that?" The lookout on the mainmast called down.

The wind suddenly died completely; the ship was becalmed. The snow stopped swirling;the flakes hung suspended in midair! Everyone on the ship scrambled to the railings to look toward their home. There still was nothing to see; the snow was suspended in the air, but it was still a long distance back to port, and the flakes still blocked their visibility like a thick fog.

The silence was broken only by the flapping of loose canvas and the creaking of the ship's timbers as it bobbed in place. Time stretched for what felt like an eternity but was only a few minutes.

Then the snow began to move again-move up, swirling into the sky. The ice sheet broke up and swirled upward too. All of the ice and snow that they could see was rising into the air, coalescing above the now visible castle into a giant ... snowflake? The snow and ice shards made delicate chiming sounds like a million tiny bells, until an exquisite snowflake pattern formed into perfect geometric form, hung in the air for a glorious moment, then dissipated. The sky was cloudless, the sun shone with mid-summer brightness again and they could tell the temperature was rapidly returning to normal.

"Well, that was ... extraordinary." The Admiral had a gift for dry understatement. "Captain, make all plain sail immediately. I want us back in Arendelle at your best speed. Move this ship, Captain!"

"Aye, Aye, Sir!" Captain Halvorsen gave the orders and the crew made haste to get the ship under way.

_"My Queen, I can only hope that was a harbinger of a happy ending for you."_ The Admiral thought to himself. She certainly deserved happiness, all the happiness she could find after so long with nothing but duty. He willed the ship to move faster.

* * *

**** July 17, 1840 - Arendelle Castle ****

The Duke of Weselton stood in stunned silence as the scene unfolded below them on the fjord.

The howling blizzard suddenly stopping, the snow suspended, floating in mid-air. Prince Hans drew his sword and approached the Queen, who sprawled sobbing on the ice paying no heed to the man about to end her life.

A scream, "NO!" and the Princess ran to put herself between the sword and her sister, freezing into solid blue ice. An icy statue that shattered Hans' sword and blew him back with some magic force. The Queen rose and sobbed in disbelief and horror on the frozen shoulder of the princess.

After a moment that seemed like an eternity, Anna melted into warmth and life again, into her sister's embrace, an embrace that it seemed would never end. The Queen then looked around, raised her hands, and the snow and ice rose up and disappeared as she brought back summer.

"He lied to us! Prince Hans LIED to us!" The startled exclamation came from one of the Guardsmen on the tower parapet with them. "He said Princess Anna was dead and the Queen had killed her! He wasn't going to execute the Queen, he was going to murder her!"

Weselton shuddered. What would have happened if Hans had succeeded? Would the winter have ended? Or would it have become eternal after all, until they were buried miles deep in ice and snow.

The Queen, her sister, and some other figures were now standing on the deck of a ship that had surfaced under them when the water melted. Princess Anna hugged the Queen and walked over to where Prince Hans struggled to his feet next to the ship's railing.

She punched him into the fjord. Apparently the engagement was off.

* * *

**** July 17, 1840 - Aboard Her Majesty's Ship **_**King Agdar**_** **  
** DOCKSIDE, Arendelle Harbor ****

Taking Naismith's order for 'best speed' to heart, Captain Halvorsen threw the _Agdar_ into the wharf with an abandon that would have stove in the bow had he not been such a good ship handler. The gangplank was run out before the dock hands had tied the ship to its bollards, and the only reason Naismith didn't run onto the quay was because he knew it was unbecoming of the High Admiral of the Royal Arendelle Navy to run down a gangplank like a seaman apprentice on his first shore leave.

He was met at the foot of the gangplank by a Colonel of the Royal Arendelle Marines, Colonel Lars Nordholm. Nordholm had been left in command when Naismith sailed with the fleet. He was in a heavy woolen winter uniform and Naismith couldn't tell if it was soaking wet from melted snow or simply sweat.

"Nordholm, what happened? Where's the Queen? Is she safe?" Naismith acknowledged the Colonel's salute as they walked briskly up the dock toward the castle causeway.

"Admiral, I don't know where to begin. To say this has been the most extraordinary three days of my life is simply inadequate. I don't think language exists to explain it." Naismith knew that Nordholm was as unflappable as a man could be, sanguine in the face of point-blank cannon fire. If he was rattled, it had been an extraordinary experience indeed.

"Priorities! The Queen? Is she safe?" Naismith snapped.

"Yes, sir, she is. Her party docked ten minutes ago, and I believe they are now in the castle courtyard," was Nordholm's response.

"Docked? Party?"

"The Queen, her sister the Princess Anna, a reindeer, a brawny fellow, and a ... a walking, talking snowman. They were out in the middle of the fjord when she ... melted it. Fortunately standing above a submerged ship that surfaced under them, or they'd have had to swim back." Nordholm shook his head at this last. "Oh, and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. He's in custody, at Princess Anna's orders."

Naismith didn't know which part of this recitation boggled him the most. Arresting a Prince? Or the existence of an apparently living snowman? If Naismith hadn't seen that snowflake in the sky with his own eyes he would have thought that Nordholm was drunk and hallucinating.

They entered the castle courtyard to a scene of pandemonium. Naismith could see that members of the Queen's Own Guard had formed a perimeter around a small group of people, holding back a clamoring crowd that seemed to alternate between cheering wildly and simply applauding. He heard shouts of "Hurrah for Queen Elsa!" More people from the town were pouring into the courtyard by the minute. The Admiral and the Colonel had to elbow their way into the space surrounded by the Queen's Own. Recognized by the guardsmen, they were allowed through the line.

It took a moment for the Admiral to realize that he was looking at the Queen. She was clad in a shimmering dress of blue material that glittered like ... ice? Her platinum hair was in a single braid trailing over her left shoulder, totally different from the hairstyle she had worn for the past three years. Her sister was clinging to the Queen's arm and grinning at her. Most amazing of all, the Queen herself was smiling, the smile transforming her features from a winsome beauty into a truly transcendent loveliness. She seemed to glow. There was joy in her eyes, joy that had been cruelly stolen from her thirteen years ago and not seen since.

He was speechless for a moment. Nordholm poked him. "Admiral?"

Shaking himself, the Admiral stepped closer to Elsa and said, "Your Majesty?"

She turned to him and held out her hand. "Admiral! It is so good to see you again! We have some catching up to do, it seems!" Her radiant smile would have melted a glacier.

"It seems we do, Your Majesty. May I suggest that we move your party inside the castle? Perhaps close the gates?"

Still smiling, she shook her head. "We won't be closing the gates, Admiral. But I agree that we should go inside for some privacy. There are things that we need to discuss. Many things."

The Admiral nodded, then turned to Colonel Nordholm. "Colonel, get a platoon of Marines in here to help the Queen's Own maintain order. It looks like this celebration" and what exactly are we celebrating?, he wondered to himself, "will be going on for some time."

"Aye, Aye, Sir! Your Majesty!" Nordholm saluted them both, then turned and jostled his way through the Guard line, off to gather up more Marines.

* * *

Several hours later, Naismith's head was still whirling as he tried to assimilate everything he had heard. Whirling like the small snow flurry over the little snowman's head, which apparently kept him from melting in the heat. He heard the Princess call the snowman "Olaf", so that must be it's ... his? ... name.

They were gathered in the dining room. Kai, Gerda, and other servants bustled in and out with food and drink, refreshing everyone's needs as requested. The Queen had eaten very little, but the Princess Anna was eating enough for both of them. Naismith noticed that the two women never let go of each other, their arms stayed entwined no matter what else they were doing. Since he knew the Queen had not touched anyone in almost ten years, he assumed that they both needed the reassurance that this was not some dream they would wake up from; that this was real and that they were together again.

It was a small group: Elsa, Anna, the snowman, the burly fellow whose name was apparently Kristoff, the Admiral, and the Captain of the Queen's Own Guard. The reindeer had been turned over to the head groom for stabling. With orders that he be supplied with carrots, of all things. Nordholm was in command of the Marines and Guardsmen controlling the celebration going on outside.

The Captain of the Guard had a sour look on his face, as if his coffee was laced with lemon. Naismith thought he knew what that was about, but they would discuss it once the Queen dismissed them.

"Your Majesty, may I ask you about Prince Hans? He is in custody in comfortable quarters, but I need to know what the charges against him are." Admiral Naismith inquired. In following the narrative of the last three days, a narrative presented from several different viewpoints, with much cross-talk and exclamations of confusion, he had lost track of why exactly the Prince was under arrest. He needed to be certain.

Queen Elsa lost her smile for the first time since he had first seen her in the courtyard. "The charge is attempted murder, Admiral. Several attempted murders. We will not be trying him here, but sending him home with a full account of his crimes, and a request that the King of the Southern Isles administer justice for those crimes. Until we can arrange for his transportation home, please keep him confined in those comfortable quarters and under very close guard. I do not want him to escape."

She seemed to be running out of energy, her giddy liveliness draining from her. Based on the tale he had just heard, he was frankly amazed she wasn't asleep on her feet. He wasn't sure if she had slept at all in the last three days. She certainly hadn't in the last 24 hours.

"Admiral, I think we need to wrap this up for tonight. Is there anything that you need from me that can't wait until morning?" she asked. Fatigue was clear in her voice.

"No, Your Majesty. Not from my point of view. I believe I have all the information I need for the moment," he replied. "However, I think you have one last task before you can retire for some well-earned rest."

She looked at him. "And that would be?"

"Just listen for a moment."

The group fell silent, and a muffled chant could be heard. "Elsa, Elsa, Elsa!" It was the crowd in the courtyard, calling for their Queen.

"It seems that your people are not yet finished celebrating your return." The Admiral smiled at her. She smiled back, then rose, pulling her sister to her feet as well.

"I think I must indulge them, then, considering what I just put them through. Come, Anna. Let's go out on the balcony and thank them. You too, Kristoff, Olaf. They should see the true heroes of this whole debacle." It seemed that the Queen was still indifferent to the heroism that looked back at her every day from her own mirror.

"Your Majesty!" Elsa looked back at the Admiral. He bowed deeply. "I will be at your service tomorrow, whatever time is best for you." She simply nodded and left, Anna in tow. Kristoff and Olaf followed them.

Naismith turned to the Guard Captain. "Captain, I believe you and I need to discuss how the Queen wound up imprisoned in her own dungeon. Do you suspect disloyalty or treason in your men? Shall we go to my office to continue this conversation?"

The Captain gulped visibly, then saluted. "Yes, sir."

Naismith suspected this would be only one of several ... interesting ... conversations he would be having about these events.


	7. Too Proud To Say I'm Sorry

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

Anna was still fuming when she stormed back into the castle. She went to her room, threw off her cloak and flung herself onto the bed. Kristoff and Elsa were both plotting against her today. Why were they being so difficult?

Elsa had always made her feel inadequate, not by saying or doing anything, just by being Elsa. Even Hans had said so. _"You're no match for Elsa!"_ he sneered as he slammed the door and left Anna to die. What happened on the fjord after that didn't change how Anna felt, because once she had been told why Elsa had locked herself away … Anna realized that even her sacrifice didn't measure up to Elsa's.

_All those years she sacrificed herself for me and I never appreciated her. So I died for her, so what? Phhtt... what's a few minutes against thirteen years?"_ Anna was working herself into a state of self-pity.

"_I'm just the spare, I'll always be just the spare. She says she wants to teach me the things I need to know to be Queen, but why bother? Who would be stupid enough to put me on the throne? If I'm just the goofy childish one, no one would want me on the throne instead of Elsa. Elsa's beautiful, she's elegant and refined; I'm just a klutz who trips over her own feet half the time. So why should I bother to be anything else?"_ Anna's thoughts fought with themselves in her head.

Anna must have dozed off because the knock on her door startled her. "Anna? It's time for dinner." It was Elsa. _Well, let's see how she likes being ignored for a change, _Anna thought.

"Go away, Elsa, I'm not hungry." Anna was being petulant, and she knew it, and she didn't care. She waited for Elsa to say something to coax her to dinner. She needed Elsa to coax her; she needed to know Elsa needed her.

The silence stretched out so long that Anna finally realized that Elsa had simply left without so much as a word. _"Well, that just proves it. She doesn't really care." _

Anna was in too foul a mood to admit how unfair this was to Elsa, how her rejection of her sister might have hurt so much that Elsa could say nothing. She couldn't see through the door and watch Elsa wrestle with her own guilt; she couldn't hear her sad, quiet sigh as she decided that Anna had every right to send her away as she had done to Anna for so many years.

Feeling smug in her self-justification, Anna dressed for sleep and crawled back into her bed.

She had troubling dreams again that night, ones she hadn't had in months. The dreams where she scratched feebly at a locked door, her almost inaudible cries for help unheard. Freezing to death alone and unloved.

* * *

Anna was late for breakfast the next morning, as usual. Elsa glanced at her and quietly murmured, "Good morning, Anna." as she sat down. Elsa was more hurt than angry; the sting of Anna's rejection had caused an uneasy sleep for her as well, with guilty dreams of all the times she had rebuffed her sister haunting her.

Elsa was almost finished eating. They had settled into a routine where meals started on time, and Anna either got there before the table was cleared or wound up scrounging from the kitchen later. Breakfast was still the most problematical meal of the day. Anna usually managed to be on time for lunch and dinner.

Mumbling something that could have been "Good morning," Anna asked for a bowl of groats and some tea.

The silence was oppressive as the two women riveted their attention on their breakfasts. Anna chafed in discomfort at Elsa's impersonal gaze, determined not to speak first.

Drinking the last of her coffee, Elsa dabbed her lips with her napkin and rose to leave the table. "I'll be busy with the Admiral all day, so I probably won't see you until this evening." she said to Anna.

"This evening? What, at dinner?" Anna didn't bother looking up from her fascinating groats, drawing little Olafs in them with her spoon.

Elsa sighed. "No, Anna. We are having a small gathering this evening for the Royal Council members and some of the nobility and gentry. Remember? I thought you were the one who loved parties." Elsa mentally chided herself for the sarcasm. She moderated her tone of voice into something more cordial and went on, "I know you'll enjoy it, and it will be a good opportunity to get to know the Council members better." A pause. "Kristoff was invited, too. I hope he'll come with you." Elsa waited for some response from Anna.

Anna stirred her groats for a moment and glanced up at Elsa. "Thank you. I'll see you this evening, then."

Elsa just nodded and left.

"_Great. I forgot all about this 'gathering', and I bet Kristoff did too. Now I need to go find him and make sure he's got his formal clothes ready."_ Anna grumbled to herself. She usually did like parties, but today was just not the day for one.

* * *

Elsa berated herself as she walked to her study. _"How could you be so aloof? You know she didn't mean anything by pushing you away last night. She's entitled to be by herself if she wants to be. You were too hard on her yesterday, she's not used to that."_

Being a parent was hard, as Elsa was discovering. Even though Anna was legally an adult, she looked up to Elsa as more than just a big sister. Elsa knew it, and knew that she was filling a role that had been missing in Anna's life since their parents had died. There were things Anna should have learned from a mother, or a father, that Elsa was forced to deal with now. Some things that Elsa wasn't sure she knew enough about to be able to teach—like emotional connections, and how to deal with strong emotions. _'Conceal, don't feel'_ had proven a feeble reed to lean on for her outside of Council meetings, and Elsa was still unsure of herself when a situation arose where that strategy was inappropriate.

"_I'll make it up to her tonight. She'll enjoy the party, and we can talk afterward."_ Elsa rationalized. It was a good enough rationalization to get her through the rest of the day.

* * *

**** July 19, 1840 - Arendelle - Villa of the Duke of Weselton ****

The Duke was pacing back and forth, furious. "How DARE she confine me like this?"

Baron Thorstad looked at him blandly, concealing his contempt for his associate. "I'm guessing it has something to do with your two … gentlemen … trying to kill her. Just a guess, mind you." He sipped his brandy.

After the Queen thawed the kingdom and brought back summer, it had taken a day or so for her to be informed about all the things that had happened while she was absent. Thorstad had attended an emergency meeting of the Royal Council early this morning, where the Queen, her sister, and others had filled the Council in on the details of exactly what had happened over the three days of the Great Winter, as some were calling it.

The Queen had apologized for concealing her powers, and explained that the events had resulted in her gaining control over them. She had even demonstrated a small flurry in her hand, and created a small figurine in ice, delicate and precise in her control. "I can only assure you, gentlemen, that this power will only be used for the benefit of Arendelle now that I have learned how to use it properly."

Thorstad wondered if he was the only one who was skeptical of her confidence. Superficially, at least, the Council seemed to accept her explanation and assurances.

They had then moved on to the issue of Prince Hans and his attempt to take over the throne. During this discussion, it came out that the two subordinates the Duke of Weselton had sent along with Prince Hans to find the Princess had attempted to kill the Queen, repeatedly, even thought Hans had ordered that no harm should come to her. Thorstad wondered why she didn't just kill them, instead. She would certainly have been justified. He chalked it up to her being too weak-minded to do what needed to be done. Filing that thought away for later analysis, he listened to the Queen explain what she would do to the Prince and the Duke.

"Prince Hans will be confined until we send him back to his own kingdom. I am sending along a dispatch that explains what he did, and requesting that the King of the Southern Isles administer justice." she said.

Going on, she said, "And the Duke and his men will be confined to their villa until they sail. I am also cutting off all trade with Weselton."

"Your Majesty, isn't that a little … drastic? Weselton is one of our largest trading partners." protested Torbjørn Solheim. Solheim had replaced Anders Reinertsen on the council and had similar trading interests.

The Queen's face set into a grim strength they had never seen before her coronation. "No, Mr. Solheim, I don't think it is drastic at all. Murder is drastic. This is mere inconvenience. Arendelle's economy is strong. We have many other trading partners who will be ecstatic at the opportunity to take Weselton's place. With skilled negotiation, our merchants and traders should be able to increase their profitability with these new opportunities."

She had dismissed them on that note.

After the meeting, Thorstad had paid a visit to the Duke in his rented villa.

"So, when do you sail?" he asked the still furious little man.

"Tomorrow, damn that woman!"

"Look on the bright side; at least you aren't being sent back in a cell, with a request that you be imprisoned. Poor Hans will find a rather more unpleasant homecoming than you will." Thorstad pointed out.

"Bah! 'Poor Hans' deserves everything he gets. If he had only strung the Princess along with that 'true love's kiss' nonsense, he would be on the throne of Arendelle today. But no, he had to mock her and leave her to die; only she didn't die. Then he lied to everyone about the whole affair, and tried to kill the Queen in front of witnesses. To be foiled and exposed as a regicide by the very girl he scorned."

Thorstad had to admit the Duke had a point.

Just as the Duke was working himself into an even higher state of high dudgeon his butler announced another visitor. "Mr. Anders Reinertsen, Your Grace."

Reinertsen was even more agitated than the Duke, it seemed. "Is it true? She's cutting us off?" he said, with no preamble.

"Is what true?" asked the Duke. Thorstad flinched. He had not recounted the tale of the morning's Council meeting to the Duke. Apparently, others were not so discreet. Probably Solheim; he and Reinertsen were partners in many trade deals.

"I think I'll be going now." Thorstad took his leave. He really didn't need to listen to the two of them rant on about the evil monster now ruling Arendelle. He still had his own plans for altering that situation, and he no longer trusted Reinertsen's discretion or prudence. Whatever treasonous nonsense the man engaged in, Thorstad wanted no part of it.

"Why didn't I hear this from you?" the Duke demanded as Thorstad left. He got no answer.

"Bah, let him go!" The Duke was now even more determined to get his revenge on Queen Elsa. He turned to Reinertsen. "Well, are you going to just sit still and let this so-called 'Queen' pick our pockets?" he demanded.

Startled, Reinertsen said, "What can we do? She's cutting of all trade between Arendelle and Weselton!"

The Duke began pacing again. "There is more than one way to exploit the riches of Arendelle, if a man is strong-minded enough to do what has to be done."

"What are you talking about? Treason?" sputtered his guest. "I want no part of that!"

"'Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.' " quoted the Duke. "If we prosper, she won't be able to call it treason, you fool. She'll be deposed by all the same toadies who are gushing over her today. Who would tolerate a monarch that can't protect her kingdom? They'll turn on her in a heartbeat."

Reinertsen looked at him skeptically. "What are you thinking, Your Grace?"

"We'll not discuss it here. The very walls may have ears. I think you should take your usual end of summer holiday in Weselton this year." the Duke looked at Anders. "Don't you?"

Reinertsen just nodded thoughtfully.

* * *

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

"What do you mean, you aren't coming?" Anna had gone to find Kristoff after breakfast and remind him of the gathering planned for that evening.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck. He was unsure of himself dealing with gentry and nobility and all the rest of the pomp surrounding a royal family. He could tell Anna was mad at him, even madder than she had been when she flounced off after their unnerving conversation at the inn.

"Anna, you know I just don't mix with that kind of high-born crowd," he tried to explain.

"Don't you think you ought to start getting used to it?" she demanded. "Sort of warm up to the idea? Get used to hanging out with someone other than Sven?"

She had a real knack for cutting right to the heart of a matter. And cutting his heart in the process. "Anna, I just meant ..."

"No, I get it. You don't want to associate with 'royals'. Fine." And she flounced off again. He really hated seeing her disappear into the castle at that pace. He couldn't catch up and try to explain. Explain what? He didn't know what to explain.

He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and decided to go talk to the one person he knew would understand.

* * *

"I just don't get it, Sven. We've been friends for eight months, and I still don't know how to stay out of trouble with her." He fed a bite of carrot to his reindeer, then took a bite himself.

"_Females, buddy. Who can figure them out? There's a reason you don't see any little Svens prancing around, you know. I'm not the best source for advice on females."_ Sven chomped his carrot contentedly.

"But, I love her. At least, I think I do. I just get all gooey inside when I'm with her!" Kristoff mourned. "And even gooier when she's not around and I miss her."

"_You sure that's not just the chocolate? And I've been meaning to mention, you seem to be putting on a little weight, lately. Too much chocolate, not enough time on the ice."_ Sven looked at the carrot in Kristoff's hand hopefully. He got another bite.

"It's still winter; not a lot of demand for ice this time of year." Kristoff protested. "And I am not putting on weight! It's these winter clothes, they make me look … bigger!"

"_Something is bothering you, buddy. What it is?"_ Sven could always tell when his human had something on his mind, sometimes even when Kristoff didn't know himself.

Kristoff just held the carrot out to Sven without taking his bite. There was no sound except chomping for a few minutes, then..."I don't think I'm good enough for her. I don't know if SHE thinks I'm good enough for her! Every time I have to dress up and go to the castle for one of those parties, I think everyone there is laughing at me behind my back, or that my cravat is crooked or something." He snorted. "And eight months ago I didn't even know what the heck a 'cravat' was!"

Sven cocked an eye at him. Kristoff knew that look. "Okay, Elsa is never anything but warm and friendly to me. I like her, now that I'm not scared of her anymore. She never gives me anything but good feelings. She even touches my arm when she talks to me, and I know that means she trusts me. And since she's the Queen, I guess she's the only one who counts. Well, except for Anna, of course."

Kristoff put his head in his hands and groaned. "Anna! How am I going to make up with her when I don't even know what I did?"

"_You'll figure it out eventually, buddy! Anna isn't the most subtle person in the world. I'm pretty sure she'll let you know!"_ Sven managed to snag the carrot laying next to Kristoff without too much trouble, as distracted as Kristoff was. _"Cheer up! At least you won't have to get all dressed up tonight!"_

Kristoff just groaned again.


	8. Treason Doth Never Prosper

**Author's Note: ** While rereading the first seven chapters to make sure I had proper continuity with the rest of the story, I realized I had mentioned Elsa's dungeon several times and never went into detail about it. If you want the whole story of how there was a dungeon and those manacles so conveniently at hand when Hans brought her back from North Mountain, please read chapters 4 and 5 of my story "A Walk In The Park"

* * *

**** October, 1840 - Kingdom of Arendelle, the Castle Throne Room ****

It was the day after the surprise attack that Elsa had beaten back. This interview would tell her who had arranged that attack and why.

Elsa stood on the dais in her throne room, watching the enemy Commander approach under guard. For this audience, she had dressed as The Snow Queen, in her glorious ice dress complete with its delicate, icy train. It was for special occasions, and this certainly qualified. She looked down at the Commander of the invasion force. He wasn't in chains; he had given his parole. His scabbard was empty, though. His sword lay at Elsa's feet in token of his surrender.

"Well, Admiral?" Naismith cleared his throat, and began to explain what he had learned from questioning the enemy officers.

"It seems, Your Majesty, that the Duke of Weaseltown...had decided that he needed some recompense for the 'unseemly treatment' he received after your coronation." The Admiral frowned. "However, apparently his intelligence service is not quite as competent as it could be. The attack was planned for yesterday because the Duke believed Your Majesty would be out of the city, visiting one of the remote farming towns."

Elsa grimaced. "That was plain dumb luck, I think. My schedule changed at the last minute when that storm hit several days ago, and the mayor of the town requested a delay while they got caught up on the harvesting." She glared down at the hapless Weselton Commander.

"And what did the Duke hope to accomplish?" Elsa wanted to know what the old weasel thought he could get with such a brazen breach of diplomacy, technically an act of war. Well, not technically-an actual act of war.

"Nothing less than taking this city, and your sister, hostage, and looting us of everything that could be carried off." The Admiral finished.

"He _**what**_?!" Elsa didn't scream, but the fury was clear in her voice. "My _**sister**_?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." confirmed the Admiral. "The Duke knew that if he held Princess Anna as hostage, as well as the city, you would be helpless to repel his invading force, and he would be able to loot us with impunity. To give him some due, he intended to return Princess Anna unharmed once his convoy had returned with their treasures to Weselton." The Admiral glanced at the Weselton Commander. "At least, so I am told. Whether he would have gotten greedy, and attempted further blackmail, we can't know."

Elsa spoke, her demeanor that of someone holding a berserker rage under rigid control. "Take this message back from me, Commander! I am Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, defender and protector of this realm, and as long as I draw breath, NO ONE will attack this kingdom without suffering dire consequences. I stand between my people and those who would do them harm. Go back and explain what happens to those who would try!"

Elsa then placed her foot on the Commander's sword. It froze, and when she put her weight on it, it shattered into tiny shards. The Commander gulped. That sword had been the finest Damascus steel, worth two years' pay. And she had turned it into metal splinters with no effort at all.

"I will convey your message back to Weselton, Your Majesty. And I will be sure to convey it with all the conviction I can muster, to insure that the message is understood." He hoped he could muster enough conviction to convince his paymasters. This had been the worst disaster he had ever had the misfortune to be part of. He promised himself that he would never engage in an operation against Arendelle again.

* * *

**** October, 1840 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Home of Anders Reinertsen ****

"Open Up, in the name of the Queen!"

Anders Reinertsen was panicked. He could think of only one reason the Queen's Own Guards would be pounding on his door. Somehow, they had found out about his conspiracy with the Duke of Weselton to raid and loot Arendelle. His fear was so great he stood rooted in place as his butler opened the door and the Guardsmen entered the room.

"Anders Reinertsen?" ask the Captain of the Guard. Reinertsen could only nod; his voice had deserted him.

"You are under arrest for treason against Arendelle. Will you come peaceably, or must we use force?"

"I...I'll come quietly. I deny any treason. This charge is false," Reinertsen managed to stammer. Damn the Duke for leading him into this folly. How would he talk himself out of this one?

"You may defend yourself in front of the Queen. Come along."

Later, as he sat in a quite comfortable, albeit small guest room somewhere in the castle, he paced and fretted. If it weren't for the humorless guards at the door, he could pretend he was a guest of the Queen. Well, he was a 'guest', although he was afraid he wouldn't enjoy whatever hospitality Elsa had in mind for him. Since she couldn't get her hands on the Duke, he had to imagine that she would take it all out on him. At least she hadn't chained him in a dungeon. He supposed he should be grateful for small favors.

A knock at the door, and a voice saying, "You have a visitor, Mr. Reinertsen," interrupted his frenetic pacing.

Bjorn Thorstad entered. Reinertsen was glad to see him; he had sent him a message asking for his counsel in this horrible dilemma he was in.

"Am I glad to see you!" he exclaimed. He was dismayed to see that apparently his 'friend' did not reciprocate the feeling.

"What a mess you have gotten yourself into, Anders. What help do you think I can provide?" Thorstad's tone was impassive, at best.

"Why...why, I had hoped for your counsel!" he replied.

"My counsel? When you ignored my counsel not to let your hatred for the Queen lead you into folly with the Duke after that cock-up at the Coronation?" Thorstad said. "I have no desire to find myself in the stocks or worse by being associated with you. I have my place on the Royal Council to consider. I shouldn't even be here."

"Stocks? I didn't know we had any stocks?" Reinertsen let himself be distracted.

"For this, I'm sure she can have some built, you fool." Thorstad went on, "You can only hope she doesn't have them build a gallows, instead."

Stunned, Reinertsen was speechless for a moment. Then he managed to choke out, "A gallows? She wouldn't...? Would she?"

Shaking his head, Thorstad had no comforting words for the shaken man. "It depends on how furious she is. No one has been executed for treason in over a hundred years. On the other hand, no one has tried to attack Arendelle and kidnap the Crown Princess in over a hundred years, either."

Reinertsen sat heavily and put his head in his hands in despair. "It wasn't to kidnap her...just...just have her in hand as a negotiating ploy."

Thorstad snorted. "I'm sure Her Majesty will appreciate that fine nuance at your trial. Be sure to point that out. With luck, she won't turn you into an icy blue garden ornament."

He turned for the door. "I will have nothing further to do with you, Anders, but I will send you the name of a good legal counsel for your trial. Maybe he can convince the Queen that mercy is worth considering."

* * *

**** Present Day, March 1841 - Kingdom of Arendelle, the Castle Throne Room ****

Elsa stood on the dais, watching the small crowd enjoying themselves at her soirée, hoping Anna hadn't forgotten AGAIN between breakfast and evening. Elsa tried to be patient, but Anna would test the patience of a saint at times, and Elsa was no saint.

She would never relish parties as much as Anna did, but since her Coronation Day and the revelation of her secret, she had gotten better at being a gracious hostess and mingling casually with guests. Making small talk with people still did not come easily, but practice had made it somewhat less strained. She could smile and joke with a modicum of comfort, as befit a Queen.

The small orchestra played a quiet waltz in the background, but people seemed content to chat in small groups and eat dainties from the buffet tables rather than dance. Servants offered drinks and took the empty glasses away when needed. The one person Elsa had not seen yet was Anna, which worried her a little. It simply wasn't in character for Anna to miss a party.

Just as Elsa was about to ask Kai if he had seen her sister, Anna entered the room. She was dressed in a simple but elegant dress in the colors of Arendelle. Elsa always admired how well those colors flattered Anna's hair and complexion. Her sister's hair was up in a formal style similar to the one she had worn at Elsa's coronation and was entwined with ribbons that matched her dress. She was the very picture of a Princess, smiling and greeting people that she knew. Elsa felt a release of a tension she hadn't realized was there when she saw Anna mingling with the guests.

Anna joined Elsa on the dais with a shy smile on her face. "Hi."

Elsa smiled back at her. "Hi. I was afraid I'd missed you." She noticed that someone was still missing. "Um, I thought Kristoff would be joining us tonight?"

Anna feigned indifference, but Elsa knew her sister's body language too well to believe it. "Oh, he had some ice guild business or something that was a conflict tonight." Anna went on, "We're not engaged or anything, so it's not a big deal."

Elsa wondered where that 'not engaged or anything' had come from. She would have no problem blessing a marriage with Kristoff, and she was beginning to think she should be prodding Anna and Kristoff to just get on with it. Time and events had convinced Elsa that Kristoff was a good man and worthy of Anna, and that their relationship was strong enough to be called 'love'. Was Anna having second thoughts for some reason? That was disconcerting. Elsa decided not to press Anna on the subject right now. She could sense Anna was still a little reserved towards her, probably residual anger from yesterday and this morning. Elsa hated it when they had misunderstandings like this; she still didn't handle conflict with Anna very well.

"Have you seen the dessert buffet? I made sure we had those wonderful little cherry cordials we both love so much." Chocolate was always a safe subject, Elsa had discovered.

"Oh, yes! They were delightful, thank you!" Anna seemed to brighten a little, and the tension diminished a little more.

Before they could continue the conversation, Kai approached with Baron Thorstad and a gentleman that Elsa didn't recognize. They bowed politely to Elsa and Anna, then Thorstad spoke.

"Your Majesty, may I introduce Monsieur Robin Sylvain Pierre? He has been engaged in trade with Arendelle for several years, and has become a key importer of exotic liqueurs from France."

"How do you do, Monsieur Pierre. I am glad to meet you. Are we serving any of the fine liqueurs that you import here tonight?" Elsa smiled politely.

"Indeed you are, Your Majesty. May I compliment your staff on having a fine taste in their choices for the hospitality of the Queen of Arendelle?" Pierre's smile was warm and genuine.

"I'll be sure to pass that on to them, Monsieur Pierre. Please, enjoy all of the hospitality of the evening." Elsa nodded as the two men bowed again and excused themselves.

Anna turned to Elsa. "I think I'll circulate and mingle a little. I see the Admiral and Bishop Norgaard over there; I haven't pestered either of them in a while. Then I'll make another pass at those cordials."

Elsa chuckled. "Okay. But, please, leave a few for me, would you? I haven't had enough time to really enjoy the food; too many conversations with people who feel the need to be seen with the Queen."

Anna joined the Bishop and the Admiral for a few minutes, then decided to sample some of the nibbles and tiny sandwiches prepared for the guests. She loaded up her plate and was happily munching when her elbow was jostled.

"Excusez-moi, Your Highness! My clumsiness is beyond gauche. Please, accept my apologies!" It was Pierre, holding a plate of his own.

"Oh! No, I'm sure that it was all my fault. I'm always bumping into things. Not that you're a thing, you're a person." Anna was slightly flustered.

"No, no, Your Highness! The fault is all mine." Pierre smiled. "I admit, I was distracted by a vision of extraordinary elegance and grace."

Anna couldn't believe he was talking about her, but there was no one else around. She blushed. "Uh, Merci, Monsieur." she replied, using up 50% of her vocabulary in Pierre's native language. She was trying to think of something sophisticated to say, but Pierre continued to comment on the party and the hostesses.

"I am so grateful that my business associate Baron Thorstad was able to secure an invitation to this gathering for me. The tales of the beauty and poise of the royal sisters of Arendelle has been spread across the Continent, but I must tell you that the reality far outweighs the reports that have come to my ears."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure those tales were about my sister, the Queen. I'm sure the word 'poise' isn't one usually used to describe me." Anna was flattered by his courtly manner. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. She thought that he must have a lot of experience mingling with nobility and royalty; his easy manner and courtesy spoke to that. She wished she could feel that sort of sophisticated grace. Elsa made it look so effortless.

"Ah, Princess Anna! You are far too modest! Yes, the Queen is beautiful, but your own loveliness must be the envy of all the other women of the realm! I am sure that you have broken many hearts of those who would seek your hand! N'est-ce pas? Is it not so?" He took her hand and looked into her eyes. Anna felt a tingle and wished that Kristoff would make that kind of gesture sometimes. He was the one she really wanted to feel tingly about.

"Thank you for your courtesy, Monsieur Pierre! You are certainly a welcome guest. Maybe we will run into each other again? Not really run into, just meet. You know." Anna looked over at Elsa. "Oh, my sister is looking for me! Please, excuse me!" She nodded to him and left him at the buffet.

Baron Thorstad joined his associate. "Well, that looked interesting. Planning on courting her?" he smirked.

"Hardly, mon frère. But it was a fascinating discussion, and I believe I have a bit of insight into the young lady." Pierre responded.

"Insight?"

"I sense that our Princess is a bit insecure, particularly in comparing herself to her sister." Pierre looked toward the dais, where Anna had rejoined Elsa in conversation with another guest.

"Hmm. I wonder if that insecurity can be ... exploited in some way?" Thorstad mused.

"We will discuss it, but perhaps in a more private venue. Shall we make our departure?" Pierre asked.

"Yes, lets. I've spoken to those I wanted to influence tonight. Let us continue this at my estate while sampling some of those incomparable liqueurs you import."

* * *

**** March, 1841 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Estate of Bjorn Thorstad ****

Sitting comfortably in front of a roaring fire while sipping fine cognac, after they had finished sharing insights on the royal sisters the two men moved on to discussing the events of the attack on Arendelle that had taken place the previous fall.

"I was on a buying trip last October, so I only heard second hand accounts of the attack by the Duke of Weselton. What was he thinking?" Pierre asked Thorstad.

"He was thinking that the Queen would be absent from here when he attacked. His planning failed him when a sudden storm changed her plans and left her here in the city, ready and willing to repulse five ships and several hundred troops with her ice and snow magic," Thorstad responded sourly.

"Impressive. I would not have expected such a young woman to have the will and courage to engage in personal combat at the risk of her own life," Pierre commented.

"Yes, well, apparently neither did the Duke. Not that he was planning on her being present."

"What happened to our associate Anders Reinertsen? Was he not allied with the Duke in this folly?"

"The fool was sloppy; he left a paper trail that was sniffed out by Naismith and his minions in the aftermath." Thorstad took another sip of his drink.

Pierre looked at his associate. "Sloppy? I would not have thought that he was that careless."

Thorstad looked back blandly. "Yes, well, sometimes a paper trail can be created unbeknownst to the purported creator. If Naismith finds a slug under the first rock he overturns, he won't bother turning over other rocks."

Pierre laughed. "Ah, Bjorn, calling poor Anders a 'slug' is so cruel. What happened when he was found out by the Admiral?"

"He stood trial for treason. The Queen is apparently too squeamish to erect a gallows, and merely fined him everything he owned and exiled him with the clothes on his back and passage on a ship to the destination of his choice." Thorstad snorted. "I understand that when he arrived in Weselton, the Duke suggested that he perform some physically impossible act upon himself and kicked him onto a ship bound for Botany Bay."

They watched the crackling fire for a few moments. Pierre finally spoke. "Hmm. She has the courage to fight in her own person against hundreds of armed troops, yet not to hang a traitor. What does that tell us?"

"That she is young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. That she foolishly thinks that mercy is something desirable when ruling a kingdom. Oh, we did get one other piece of information out of that debacle."

Pierre simply gave him an inquisitive look.

"Before the Coronation, when she was still a recluse, we thought that perhaps she was indifferent or hostile to the Princess, and would be happy to foist her off onto a husband. We were wrong. When the Queen was told of Weselton's plan to kidnap the Princess, Elsa threatened to kill everyone in the expedition **and** the Duke if something had happened to the girl." Thorstad shuddered at the memory of Elsa's rage at the audience with Weselton's Commander.

"I thought you just said she was too weak and squeamish to kill. Now you say she would have slaughtered hundreds. Which is it?" Pierre asked.

"Talk is cheap, Rob. What she said she would do, and what she has actually done are two different things. I still think she can't bring herself to kill. But it is now clear that she loves and protects her sister. Hans never stood a chance. The only reason he even came close was because of the confrontation that exposed her magic and sent her fleeing across the fjord." Thorstad explained. "If he had just been able to rein in his ego, he would be ruling Arendelle today. Of course, we'd probably be under about a mile of ice and snow, but..." Thorstad shook his head.

Pierre mulled over the information he had just heard.

"So, if the Princess is to ascend the throne, with a strong consort to influence her..." he muttered.

"The Queen must die first, **before** the consort appears. Maybe then, a comforting shoulder to cry on would lead to love and marriage for the new queen," Thorstad stated.

"La reine est morte, vive la reine!" cheered Pierre, waving his glass in emphasis.

The two men watched the fire burn to embers while they discussed possibilities.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

If you would like the full account of that attack by Weselton, please read my story "Protector of the Dominion". Elsa kicks ass. Thank you!


	9. The Two Terrible Sisters of Arendelle

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa ****

Elsa had gotten to bed very late; she had to see the last of her guests off after the party. She had cleared her schedule for tomorrow so that she could sleep late for a change. Breakfast would be served whenever Elsa or Anna finally made it down for the meal, rather than at the regular time. And if it so happened that lunch was the first meal of the day, well...the kingdom would just have to deal with it. Sleeping in was a luxury Elsa did not often allow herself and she wallowed in the feeling of slothful indulgence.

She had just dozed off when she felt something warm against her back, waking her. "Anna?" she muttered sleepily.

Anna giggled. "Unless you have a long line of other people sneaking in here to sleep with you..." She tickled her sister gently.

"Stop that!" Elsa slapped at her sister's hand. "I'll push you onto the floor like I used to do!"

"Please, no. The bed is ever so much softer...and warmer." Anna snuggled closer to her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

"I take it you're not mad at me any more." Elsa asked softly as she relaxed into her sister's embrace with a sigh of contentment.

"I'm sorry for being such a goof, Elsa. I won't be late for meetings any more." Anna was contrite, and mumbled her apology into her sister's hair.

"You're forgiven. Can we sleep now? I'm exhausted..." Elsa rarely admitted weakness, even to herself, but she felt safe doing so with Anna. Anna had been there for her when she had been at her most vulnerable.

"M mm. Who's awake?" Anna kissed Elsa's shoulder. "Let's shock the servants and sleep 'til noon tomorrow..."

"I'll publish the decree in the morning ... or afternoon ... or whenever we wake up ..." Elsa's voice trailed off and she was asleep again before Anna could make another comment.

They did manage to make it down for lunch.

* * *

Both sisters were cheerful over lunch, laughing together over discussions of the party. Elsa was glad that Anna had worked through her anger and was willing to apologize for her tardiness.

"What's your plan for today, Anna? Will you be seeing Kristoff?" Elsa pushed away the remnants of lunch and stirred cream into her coffee. She took a sip while waiting for Anna's reply.

Anna didn't answer immediately. When she did, Elsa could tell she wasn't as enthusiastic as she usually was when talking about him. "I'm not sure."

Elsa hesitated, then took a chance. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her sister sighed, then … "I don't know what to say. I don't even know what's wrong. We just seem to be talking past each other the last few days."

Elsa murmured a little encouraging sound. Anna continued, "I was thinking about everything you said the other day about the succession and how some people don't think Kristoff is good enough for me, and I wanted to talk to him about it and it just went off on a complete spiral of misunderstanding. Then he didn't want to come to the party, and that just made it worse."

"Honey, that must be frustrating for you. Is this the first time you've tried to talk to Kristoff about the idea of marriage?" Elsa wanted to be helpful, but she didn't think Anna was looking for her to solve the problem; she just needed someone to talk to about it and sympathize.

"No, but truthfully we haven't really discussed it a lot. Like I told you the other day, we kind of circle around it, never coming right out and talking about it. I'm not sure which one of us is more skittish. Me, because I get flashbacks to Hans, or Kristoff, because the idea of courting a Princess is scary."

Elsa sipped her coffee while Anna finished her dessert. She thought of something that would get Anna excited and lift her mood.

"You know, we have the Spring Equinox Festival coming up next week. There'll be the usual celebration, and I was thinking of decorating the castle courtyard into a skating rink again. Maybe you and Kristoff can just have some fun without having to get all dressed up. Both of you have become quite accomplished on ice skates since last summer!" Elsa teased.

Anna perked up. The kingdom celebrated the coming of spring every year and this would be the first one since Elsa's Coronation, which meant the castle gates would be open to the festivities for the first time in thirteen years.

"Yeah, that's a great idea! And if you made some fresh snow, we could have a snowman building contest, and let Olaf judge it!"

"We could definitely do that. We'll be creating a whole new tradition!" Elsa agreed with her sister's suggestion. "Why don't you go find Kristoff, and invite him for dinner? He hasn't joined us since a week ago or so...it will just be the three of us, en famille so to speak."

"Are you sure?" Anna looked at Elsa.

Elsa nodded. "You know I enjoy his company, and I'm pretty sure he's not scared of me anymore..." her eyes twinkled as she teased Anna, "and maybe he'll finally realize what he's missing out on if we both charm him over a nice dinner!"

Anna giggled. "Yeah, how can anyone resist the Two Terrible Sisters of Arendelle?"

* * *

Anna found Kristoff at the Ice Guild Hall, meeting with some of the other ice harvesters. She waited while he finished the discussion and noticed her standing there.

"Hi, Kristoff." Anna greeted him shyly.

"Hi, Feisty Pants." Kristoff was glad she seemed to be over her mad. He had missed her, even though it had only been for a day.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

"Well, the Spring Festival is next week, right?" Anna nodded. Kristoff went on, "So, since this is the first one since Elsa's Coronation, and the first year since we're organized as a guild, the Ice Guild decided we should sponsor an ice carving contest. What do you think?"

Anna clapped and squealed, "That's a great idea! Elsa told me over lunch that she was going to bring back the skating rink in the courtyard, and I suggested she make enough fresh snow that we could have a snowman building contest. An ice sculpture contest would be a fantastic addition to the festivities. This will be the best Spring Festival ever!"

Kristoff grinned at her. That was more like the Anna he loved to be around.

"Sooo...think you have time for some hot chocolate?" he asked her a little diffidently.

"I have so much time, you won't believe it." She hesitated, then... "On one condition..."

"Condition?" He always worried about the things Anna could come up with to complicate his life.

"Elsa wants you to come for dinner tonight. Just us, nothing fancy. She misses you." Anna winked at him, and was rewarded with seeing him blush.

"Okay, if that's the price I have to pay for getting to spend an afternoon with you, I guess I can put up with the Queen of Arendelle for one meal." Kristoff teased her back. Anna laughed with him as he grabbed his jacket and they went off to the Inn.

* * *

The Children's Choir from the Arendelle school was singing the traditional Spring Festival song on the steps of the castle church, with the church bells ringing for counterpoint:

_Winter's gone and Spring is springing  
Shines the sun with warmth of old  
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Chapel bells are ringing!  
We're done with being cold  
Flowers a-bloom with odors pleasant,  
All of Arendelle is glad!  
Mother Earth, we thank you for the presents!  
Spring's good and Winter's bad._

_Winter's gone and Spring is springing,_  
_Shines the sun with warmth of old._  
_Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Chapel bells are ringing!_  
_We're done with being cold._  
_Brrrrrrr!_

Elsa, Anna and the rest of the spectators gave the children an enthusiastic round of applause. The crowd broke up to partake in some of the other activities planned for the day's celebration.

"Wheeeee!" Olaf went skating around the courtyard gliding and pivoting in circles around Anna and Kristoff. They had definitely improved, but the little snowman could still put them to shame.

"Come on, you guys! Put a little oomph into it!" Olaf encouraged them to go just a little faster.

"That's okay, Olaf. We're perfectly happy being your pupils here." Kristoff yelled back at him. He and Anna were holding hands as they glided around the fountains in the courtyard. There were enough people skating that they had to pay attention to where they were going.

The day had dawned clear and cold. It might be the first day of spring but in Arendelle that just meant the temperature MIGHT get above freezing some days. It often snowed well into April, sometimes May. The people were used to it though, and celebrated spring with enthusiasm, hot glogg and winter activities.

Elsa was standing in front of the main doors going into the castle, smiling and talking with people as they came by to chat. She had done a little skating to start things off, but was content to leave the rink to others and circulate around the courtyard for now, just being with her people and enjoying the day.

The children had loved the snowman building contest, and Olaf couldn't decide which one looked the most like him, so he declared that they all won. Elsa had created little snow figurines as prizes for the children.

There were booths around the courtyard with food and drink, and more booths on the causeway leading to the town. The marketplace was decorated in a snowy theme, and more booths and vendors were doing a lively business as the people of Arendelle celebrated the lengthening of the day as the sun crossed the equator.

Anna and Kristoff skated over to a bench along the castle wall to rest a little. Anna snuggled into Kristoff.

"Mmm...this has been so much fun. Elsa really knows how to throw a party," she said.

"Yeah, she sure does. This is the best festival in forever," Kristoff agreed with her. He noticed she had a pensive look on her face. "Skilling for your thoughts?"

"I was just remembering the rest of the lyrics for that song, which I noticed the choirmaster left out this year." She recited them softly:

"_Your future is bleak  
Your kingdom will splinter  
Your land shall be cursed  
With unending winter  
With blasts of cold will come dark art,  
And a ruler  
With a frozen heart!  
Then all will perish in snow and ice!  
Unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice!"_

"Kristoff, I know it's silly to believe in prophecies, but ... was I the sword sacrifice? Did the prophecy really come true?" Anna shivered with the memory and clutched Kristoff's jacket.

"Hey, hey! It's just a silly kid's song. And if it WAS a prophecy, you saved us all. So there was a happy ending and we all didn't perish!" Kristoff tried to cheer her out of the glum mood she had fallen into with a hug and a tender kiss on her cheek. "And besides, Elsa never had a frozen heart, and her magic isn't a dark art. She uses it for good. Look at those little ice figures the kids love so much."

"I guess you're right. I'm just being silly again." She snuggled closer to him, wrapped in his strong arms.

They sat that way for a while, Anna cuddled into Kristoff's warmth, watching the skaters and the rest of the people enjoying the activities in the courtyard. For Kristoff's part, he would be happy to sit there forever if Anna was with him.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness, are you enjoying the day?" Anna looked up to see Bjorn Thorstad standing in front of them. He was smiling genially.

"Why, yes, thank you, Baron Thorstad. I hope you are as well." Anna responded politely.

"I don't believe I know your … companion?" Thorstad nodded at Kristoff.

"Oh, where are my manners! Baron Thorstad, this is Kristoff Bjorgman, the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer." Anna introduced Kristoff.

"Your Grace." Kristoff nodded at the older man. "It's nice to make your acquaintance."

"And yours as well. I just wanted to say hello, Your Highness. Will we be seeing you at the next Council meeting?"

"Elsa...I mean, the Queen and I haven't discussed it yet, but I may attend," Anna answered.

"I hope to see you there. Your presence brightens the room considerably." Thorstad bowed slightly and left, greeting another Council member as he did so.

A loud tummy rumble told Kristoff it was time to find some more food vendors. "Let's get some dinner, Anna. It's been a long time since lunch!"

* * *

Thorstad strolled out of the castle to the market square. Rob Pierre had a booth with various liqueurs and cordials available for sampling and sale. He was doing a thriving business, to judge by the three-deep crowd waiting for service.

"Monsieur Pierre, may I have a glass of your finest cognac?" Thorstad asked his associate once he was able to get through the crowd.

"You may, but if I could make a suggestion? I was just about to leave the booth in the excellent care of my subordinates, and seek out some dinner. Would you care to join me?" Pierre responded.

"A wonderful idea. Let us do so."

The two of them found a table in the rather crowded inn and ordered dinner. The establishment was packed, with drinks flowing freely. The buzz of many conversations made it hard to hear any single one.

"Well, I found out something today that I wasn't really aware of," Thorstad said to Pierre.

"And that would be?"

"It seems that our beloved Princess has a beau. An ice harvester, of all people," Thorstad said.

"Forgive me, mon ami, but hasn't this been common knowledge for months?" Pierre was surprised.

"Not exactly. They have been seen together, but never in situations that were redolent of anything but friendship. Today, however, they were clearly … cuddling … after skating together for most of the afternoon. I confess, I am surprised the Princess has managed to maintain such discretion." Thorstad finished.

"So, if something were to happen to the Queen, the Princess already has a shoulder at hand to cry on?"

"Yes, it would appear so."

"That will never do."

Their dinners were brought to them, and they ate in silence for a few moments.

"How tragic it would be if the Princess were to lose both her beloved sister and her … ice harvester," Pierre mused.

"Tragic, indeed," agreed Thorstad.

* * *

**** Flashback – November, 1840 – Admiralty Office of the Royal Arendelle Navy ****

"Erik, do I have any more appointments scheduled for today?" Admiral Naismith asked his yeoman.

"Yes, sir. One last meeting—Colonel Lars Nordholm with a report on that business last month." Yeoman Erik Jorgensen responded.

'Yeoman' was a rank that often served as clerks to high-ranking officers. Erik Jorgensen had served in the Royal Arendelle Navy since signing on as a seaman apprentice at 16. Thirty years later, he had worked his way into a cushy job at the Admiralty. Nights at home in his own bed with his own wife, no reefing topsails in a roaring blizzard, and good ale to drink at the local tavern instead of that vile stuff the Navy called 'rum'. For the thousandth time in thirty years, Erik wondered if someone wasn't just playing a joke on the Navy when they sold it to them.

"Send him in, then, Erik, and you're dismissed for the evening. I'll see you in the morning." the Admiral told him.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Erik saluted and left, then ushered the Colonel into the Admiral's office before closing the door and leaving for the night.

"Admiral." Colonel Nordholm saluted. The Admiral returned it and waved him to a seat.

"We can dispense with the formality, Lars. No one here but just us old salts tonight." The Admiral rummaged in a lower desk drawer, brought out a bottle and two glasses. "Drink?"

Nordholm relaxed in his chair and replied with a grin, "Have you ever known me to turn down your liquor?"

"No, and I didn't expect you to start now. This is some of that cognac that our friend Monsieur Pierre has been so successfully importing. Very smooth, I must admit." He poured two glasses, handed one to the Colonel and raised his own. "To the Queen!"

"The Queen!" replied the Colonel, and they drank.

"So, Lars, what have you got for me?"

Nordholm laid a folder on the desk. "We've pretty much wrapped up all the evidence we'll need for Reinertsen's trial. There's not a lot of doubt that he conspired with Weselton. Once we untangled the rather convoluted business relationships, those ships had a paper trail leading straight back to him."

"Hmm. How convenient." A moment of silence, then Naismith asked, "Too convenient, do you think?"

Nordholm snorted. "Damn right it's too convenient. But all the sniffing we've done hasn't found any other trail to any other players in this conspiracy. I suspect Reinertsen was staked out for us to find, keep us from looking too hard for other possibilities." He took another drink. "Didn't stop us from looking, though. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything."

"What about his associate, Monsieur Pierre? Reinertsen had done a lot of business with him." Naismith asked.

"So have half the merchant houses in the kingdom. Again, squeaky clean. Pierre's making a nice profit on the liquor business, and lord knows the kingdom was getting bored with akvavit. Of course, an import/export business is the perfect cover if one is engaged in ... questionable activities." Nordholm replied.

His superior just nodded. The Navy was responsible for Customs and policing the maritime trade. It had long experience with smuggling in all its forms. Legitimate trade could cover for all manner of contraband goods and people coming into the kingdom and the Navy was vigilant against these threats.

"Do we have any agents in place with his trading house?" Naismith asked.

"Yes, but only low level types. Pierre's kept the higher level positions in his firm for subordinates from his own country. Our people are warehouse and dock hands at best. They might be able to find contraband, but have no insight into anything beyond simple smuggling. Of which we have found none."

Naismith mulled this over, then finished his drink. "One more for the road, Lars?"

"No, thank you, sir. The wife will be expecting me to come home sober." he replied. "Anything else?"

"Keep a sharp eye on our friend Pierre. Clever men sometimes get too enamored of their own cleverness and slip up. I don't want us caught by surprise again like we were with that Weselton attack. If not for the Queen's courage and quick thinking, that would have turned out badly. And if luck had not kept her here, it would have been very ugly indeed before we could have pushed them back into the fjord."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Nordholm got up, saluted the Admiral and left.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Credit for the song that the Children's Choir sings goes to Bobby Lopez and Kristen Andersen-Lopez, the brilliant songwriters for the movie. If you don't have the _Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Extended Edition)_, you should. The two CD set includes the songs from the movie plus the rest of the orchestral soundtrack on disc 1, plus bonus songs on disc 2. These include songs that didn't make the movie, plus ones that were cut because they didn't fit the new version where Elsa wasn't the villain. The commentary by the songwriters adds a lot of back-story to the long path that resulted in the movie we got to see on the screen.


	10. How Cheerfully He Seems to Grin

**Author's Note: **There will be no more flashbacks. The story will proceed from this point forward in 'real' time, although I will probably note places and perhaps some passage of time if that is not clear from the context.

* * *

**From the World English Dictionary:**

**escheat** (ɪsˈtʃiːt) — n  
(in feudal times) the reversion of property to the feudal lord in the absence of legal heirs or upon outlawry of the tenant

Trust me, you need to know this definition...**(Authorial snark)**

* * *

**** Present Day - March, 1841 - Kingdom of Arendelle ****

Monsieur Robin Pierre and Baron Bjorn Thorstad were enjoying after dinner brandy in front of the fireplace in Thorstad's study. The servants had been dismissed for the night and they were alone, the only sounds the crackling of the fire and the clock ticking on the mantle.

"So, my friend, how do you think our beloved Queen should suffer a mischief?" Thorstad asked Pierre.

Taking a sip of his brandy before replying, Pierre said, "She is your queen, my friend. I am but a visitor in this fair kingdom." He stared thoughtfully into the fire. "Your Admiral Naismith is a suspicious, paranoid man. It might be best if the mischief that takes the Queen befalls him as well." He sipped his drink again. "We must be extremely clever with this one."

"What about the Princess and her ice harvester friend?" Thorstad asked.

A shrug from Pierre, "That will be much easier. Harvesting ice is a dangerous business, n'est-ce pas? An accident is not all that unheard off."

Thorstad thought for a moment. "Timing will be tricky, then. They don't generally start harvesting ice in earnest until very late in May, early June. It will depend on how quickly the warm weather returns."

Pierre nodded. "Yes, but that gives us ample time to set up the mischief for the Queen and the Admiral. I think, perhaps, the beau should be taken first, so that the Queen can comfort the grieving Princess with all her sisterly love. Then, not long after, the Queen will meet her fate. A double blow to the Princess, and she will be ripe for the sympathy of a gentle and caring suitor as she struggles to manage her new duties of ruling the kingdom. "

"We should be introducing her to some of those gentle and caring men now, don't you think? They would appear to be somewhat suspicious if they were totally unknown to her until after the Queen's funeral." Thorstad suggested.

"Yes, a good plan. But who shall we be dangling in front of the Princess? There are no convenient thirteenth sons wandering around just now." Pierre cocked an eye at his companion.

Mulling this over, Thorstad responded, "You're right. We need to give this some careful thought." Going on, he said, "In the meantime, is there any way we could perhaps drive a wedge between the Princess and her beau, or even between her and her sister? We know she is insecure."

"Yes, I think there may be. A few words in the ear of Princess Anna, very subtle words to make her question whether this Kristoff is the right one, whether he is worthy of her. And more words to perhaps make her wonder if the Queen is quite so appreciative of the little sister as she seems."

The two men discussed their problem until the fire burned down, then Thorstad escorted Pierre to the door and bid him goodnight.

* * *

Pierre returned to his office at his main warehouse. It was located conveniently close to the docks where his ships brought in the goods he imported to Arendelle. Even at this late hour, the warehouse was busy with activity; ships came and went with the tides, and one had come to dock earlier in the evening. A continuous stream of wagons arrived from the docks and were unloaded, their contents stored in the appropriate section of the warehouse for later distribution. Supervisors checked each load against the ship's manifest and directed the workers to the correct storage space for the casks, barrels, and cases.

"Bon Soir, mon ami." Pierre greeted one of his countrymen as he hung his cloak on a peg on the office wall. His associate simply nodded in return, the desk in front of him covered with papers, ledgers, and manifests.

"Has that consignment of 'Special Edition' come in on this ship?" Pierre asked.

The man, who used the name Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, looked up at Pierre. "Oui. I have instructed our men to store it in the secured room so it will be safe from unauthorized sampling by the workmen."

"Excellent. We will have use of it soon. Very soon. It will make quite the impression on our new friends here in Arendelle, don't you think?"

"Indeed." Saint-Just went back to his ledgers.

* * *

Finally the ship's hold was empty, and the last of the cargo had been hauled to the warehouse and stored properly. The workers left, some to go home, some to enjoy food and drink at one of the taverns located conveniently near the docks and warehouses. These establishments generally stayed open all night long, except during the deepest part of the winter when the fjord froze over and no shipping came or went. Then they stayed open only 20 hours a day. The idle sailors and dock hands needed somewhere to spend their time while they waited for the thaw.

One such worker had a few drinks with his fellows, swapped gossip and flirted with the bar maids. Finally ready to go home, he called one such bar maid over to pay his bill.

"Hey, Brandy. More fine hospitality you've shown us this day. Here's a little extra for you!" He passed a wad of small bills to her with a wink and a slap on her behind. She simply laughed gaily at his joke and tucked the bills into her ample bodice, blowing a kiss to him as he staggered out the door.

Continuing to serve the rowdy crowd, she went over to a table where Erik Jorgensen was finishing a tankard of ale and had waved at her for a refill. She got another pint from the bar and brought it to him, setting it down with a flourish. "There you are, Erik. A little extra for you tonight."

Erik thanked her and smiled with appreciation as he watched her take the empties away with a saucy wiggle to her hips. He slid the folded piece of paper out from under the tankard and into his pocket. He was sure that Colonel Nordholm would find whatever was on the paper very interesting. He finished his ale, left some coins on the table, and went home.

* * *

Early the next morning, Erik knocked on Colonel Nordholm's office doorjamb. "'Morning, sir. Have a little extra in the dispatch for you this morning." He held out a thick folder.

"Just put it with the rest on the pile, Erik. I may never get home tonight." Nordholm nodded to a stack on the corner of his desk.

"Aye, aye, sir." Erik left the folder and returned to his own desk.

After the attack by Weselton Elsa and Admiral Naismith had decided that Arendelle was in need of a group of people responsible for seeking out information on people, groups, or kingdoms who might want to do Arendelle harm. The surprise attack had shaken them. The Admiral organized what he called the "Arendelle Intelligence Service" and put Colonel Nordholm in charge of it. Nordholm was flattered at the trust that the Admiral and the Queen had in him, but he often wished he was back on board a ship or on horseback leading a regiment of Marines. The endless stack of reports on his desk drove him to despair some days. Sifting real information from gossip or fantasy was maddening, and the thought of missing some crucial clue kept him up at night.

Some time later, Nordholm looked up to see Admiral Naismith entering his office. Naismith waved Nordholm off before he could get to his feet and salute. "Keep working, Colonel. I just stopped by for a few minutes before I went to the Council meeting."

"Aye, aye, sir." Nordholm did get up to close the door. This caused no attention from the others working in the office. Any conversation between the two of them was presumed to be confidential, and as such were generally conducted behind a thick, closed door. It would have been more notable if the door had remained open.

"Well?" Naismith asked. "I got the 'a little extra' message from Erik earlier. What do you have?"

"Nothing very promising concerning our good friend Rob Pierre, I'm afraid." Nordholm replied. "One of our people in his warehouse passed along a note last night about his ship that docked late yesterday. A large cargo, mostly the usual variety of cordials, wines, liqueurs and so forth. Plus a very expensive 'Special Edition' of brandy. The man seems determined to turn Arendelle into a mirror of Gallic drinking habits."

"Considering the profit margin on the stuff he's importing, he's certainly got the incentive."

"Indeed. Now, if we could only get him to supply rum for the Navy." Nordholm said with a grin. The quality of the rum doled out on board the ships of the Royal Arendelle Navy had been a running joke in the kingdom since before the Admiral was a midshipman. The sailors considered it a plot to drive up business at dockside taverns. Some rumors said the stuff was really intended to poison the rats in the hold when the sailors poured their rations into the bilge.

"Well, we can only continue to keep our eyes and ears open. There is no such thing as a perfect conspiracy, if indeed there is a conspiracy out there. Everyone makes mistakes. If there is something out there that's not just a figment of a paranoid imagination, we have to hope we see it before it's too late." The Admiral stirred as if to leave. "Do you have anything else for me?"

"There is one troubling account of a potential assassin entering the kingdom. Unfortunately, the report is very vague and from one of our less reliable sources. I wouldn't normally bother mentioning it, but...some people out there still fear the Queen and consider her an evil sorceress that deserves to die. For all we know, Weselton could have decided to be more subtle this time around." Nordholm commented.

"Well, keep on it. Send out some inquiries to our more reliable agents, and perhaps get a message to our man in Weselton. I'll mention it to the Queen, but she will probably discount it. We'll have to depend on the Queen's Own to keep her safe." The Admiral rose to leave. Nordholm walked him to the door and saluted as he left.

* * *

Princess Anna was attending the meeting of the Royal Advisory Council again, and had managed both to arrive on time and to avoid knocking over any water pitchers. She was smugly proud of herself.

Elsa adjourned the meeting exactly on time and everyone stood and bowed as she left. The Admiral followed her out the door. He had mentioned that he wished to speak to her in private, and she had told him to come to her study right after the meeting.

Anna had exchanged a few words with the Bishop and had then turned to go down for lunch with Elsa when Baron Thorstad approached her. "Your Highness." he murmured with a slight bow.

"Oh, Baron Thorstad. How are you?" she replied.

"May I compliment you on your attention to duty once again? Your presence indeed brightens our gatherings. I can only hope that your sister the Queen continues to invite you so that you can continue to learn from her." He smiled at her.

"Thank you. I'm afraid she will. I mean, not scared afraid, just...part of the training and all." As usual, she got a little flustered. Sighing to herself, she thought, _"Why can't I be just as smart and elegant as Elsa is all the time?"_

"I hope to see more of you, in any case. Have a good afternoon, Your Highness." Thorstad took his leave.

* * *

Elsa sat at her desk in her study and motioned the Admiral to a seat. "What do you have to share with me, Admiral?"

"Nothing very substantial, I'm afraid, Your Majesty. Just a nugget of troubling information that has come to Colonel Nordholm's attention that I felt you need to be aware of." The Admiral proceeded to relate the story of the potential assassin to Elsa.

"Hmm. You're right, that's both insubstantial and troubling. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do about it?" she asked him.

"Only that your guardsmen be more vigilant, if that is even possible. And that you and the Princess perhaps reduce public appearances until we are certain about this possible threat." he suggested.

Elsa shook her head. "No, Admiral. I hid away from my people for too long. They forgave me for it, and I am not going to go back into hiding now. Certainly not for something as will-o-the-wisp as this."

The Admiral sighed. He knew when he made the suggestion that she would probably brush it off. "I understand, Your Majesty. But please do give it more thought. There may be things you can do to reduce the risk."

"I shall. Thank you. Would you care to join my sister and me for lunch?" Elsa stood and walked him to the door.

"No, thank you, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I have too much on my desk today to indulge myself." He bowed and walked toward the castle entrance. Elsa went down to meet Anna for lunch, evaluating the information he had shared with her.

* * *

Anna was waiting when Elsa arrived. She smiled at her sister and said, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, honey. The Admiral had something he wanted me to know about."

Anna smiled in return and said, "No, even I can manage a ten minute delay for lunch." A growling stomach said that was a tiny fib. She looked chagrined at her body's betrayal.

Elsa just chuckled. "We'll make it up to you, I promise. I heard the cook talking about a special dessert today."

As they were finishing the meal, Anna noticed that Elsa had a somewhat distracted look on her face. "Elsa, is something wrong?"

The Queen looked at her. "No, Anna, not really. Just a somewhat vague report about an assassin trying to enter the kingdom."

"Whoa, Elsa, an assassin? Are you in danger?" Anna worried that there were still people out there that would want to depose Elsa from the throne by whatever means.

"No, no. We get these sorts of rumors and hearsay all the time. Colonel Nordholm and his staff spend a lot of time separating fact from fantasy. The Admiral was just doing due diligence. I wasn't going to worry you with it." Elsa tried to sound reassuring.

"Well...okay, if you say so." Anna remained a little skeptical.

"I do say so. Now, are you going to eat that chocolate cake, or do I have to escheat it to the Crown?" Elsa teased her sister and was rewarded with a pout and a glare as Anna pulled the dessert plate closer to herself and away from Elsa. Elsa laughed and took a bite of her own cake.

* * *

After the Council meeting, Baron Thorstad had gone to visit with Rob Pierre. Pierre had a very nice rented pied-à-terre, as he called it, in the well-to-do quarter of the town. It was spacious and comfortable, and he shared it with two of his top level subordinates. Since his business required him to travel extensively, it made sense to have a shared residence. Pierre had invited Thorstad for lunch and the Baron had accepted eagerly; Pierre's imported cook prepared meals that put even the castle provender to shame.

The sweet wine served as dessert was smooth and fruity tasting. Thorstad appreciated the range of tastes that Pierre had introduced to his palate. Native Arendelle cuisine ranged from dull to boring to lutefisk, a dish that made Thorstad shudder when he thought of it.

"Another excellent meal, Rob. My compliments to your chef, and my gratitude for the invitation." Thorstad said to his companion.

Pierre simply waved off this praise. "Let us repair to the study, shall we? I believe I have some suggestions that may start us toward the solution to our various problems."

Settling in front of the fireplace with another bottle of wine to pass the afternoon, Pierre dismissed the servant and filled their glasses himself.

"So, what suggestions do you have, Rob?" Thorstad said after an appreciative sip of his wine.

"Timing, as they say, is everything. In this case, I believe the enforced wait until ice harvesting begins again works in our favor." Pierre began. "We know that we need to have our Prince Charming at least become a familiar sight to the Princess, even as we do not want him to approach her yet. He must simply be someone that she has met several times in a social setting; someone of good birth and impeccable manner. Friendly, but not forward."

"Agreed. How do you suggest we introduce this paragon of virtue?" Thorstad asked.

"Parties." Pierre smiled thinly.

"Parties?"

"Specifically, wine tasting parties. My importing business is doing exceeding well; the booth at the Spring Festival was very popular. The next logical step is to introduce the exotic liqueurs and wines to a wider audience. The nobility and gentry always fancy themselves as arbiters of good taste and fashion. I believe that you should host a gala event to start this off," Pierre said.

"Me? Why me?"

"You are a member of the Royal Advisory Council. If you were to invite your associates, and the Queen, it would be a social coup and an event that would have the rest of the nobility begging you for an invitation."

Thorstad was a little skeptical. "What makes you think the Queen would accept such an invitation? She is no longer a recluse, but that hardly means that she is seen gallivanting around the town every day. She's more likely to spend time with the commoners in the marketplace than entertain the nobility."

"Ah, but that is something you can use to persuade her. Point out how it will endear her even further to the influential people of her kingdom, while at the same time providing a boost to an economic activity that benefits her merchant class. Mention that it will enable her to mingle with people in a situation where they may feel freer to express their true opinions, particularly if their tongues are loosened by the wine."

Thorstad had to admit the idea had merit. "And so, the Princess would attend as well? Where she would in the normal course of events, be introduced to our charming friend?"

"Yes. And not just at the first event. Other members of your noble class will be eager to host similar events, because it will have become 'fashionable'. And of course the Queen and her sister would be invited. I expect the Queen would not attend many of them, but the Princess is known to take great enjoyment in parties." Pierre explained.

"The Princess will be escorted by her ice harvester friend." Thorstad pointed out.

"All the better. Remember, we have no intention of wooing her at this time. It will be enough to simply be a familiar, friendly face. When our ice harvester meets a tragic accident, no suspicion will be attached to someone who simply wants to express his condolences to the Princess who will still be under the watchful eye of the Queen. Then, when the second tragedy strikes and she ascends the throne burdened by grief even deeper, well..." Pierre sipped his wine again.

"Subtle, my friend. Very subtle," Thorstad commented.

Pierre shrugged. "We must be subtle, Bjorn. Your Queen and her Admiral are intelligent and paranoid. Slipping past their defenses is not a trivial thing to accomplish. You see now why the delay works in our favor? There will be time for several such parties where our Princess may meet and enjoy the company of her own class."

Nodding thoughtfully, Thorstad asked, "So, once the Princess is grieving for her lost love, how then do we get past those defenses of the Queen? Her guardsmen are vigilant and brave. None of them would hesitate to save her life at the cost of their own. Not to mention the fact that her magic gives her a weapon she can deploy in her own defense."

"Very true. Analyzing the situation, we must realize that a close up assassination attempt would fail to get past her guardsmen, and she would then protect herself in any case. Additionally, we need something that would take the Admiral as well."

"So, what do you suggest?" Thorstad asked.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but the kingdom celebrates the coming of summer much as it did for spring?" Pierre said. Thorstad nodded.

"And does not the Bishop perform an invocation over the ships of the fleets during that celebration? A ceremony at which both the Queen and the Admiral are sure to be in attendance?" Pierre asked. Another nod from his companion.

Pierre settled back in his chair with satisfaction and continued. "Then, we have an appropriate event toward which to plan. Suppose an evil terrorist in the pay of the Duke of Weselton were to arrange for a large store of gunpowder to be under the platform used by the Bishop and other dignitaries for this invocation? The resulting explosion is not something even the Queen's magic would be able to stop. And in one swift blow, the kingdom would lose the Queen, the Admiral, and many other high officials. Not only would the Princess lose her sister, but would be bereft of many of the advisers that might look with suspicion at someone who wanted to console her."

Thorstad was shocked at the scope of bloodshed his associate was suggesting. "Rob, that's...that's horrific!"

Pierre looked at him solemnly. "Mon frere, one does not make an omelet without some egg breakage. It is possible to design the bomb so that the destruction is limited to the dignitaries if you wish to minimize the collateral damage. We shall do so."

Still a little shaken, Thorstad asked, "Where will we get the gunpowder?"

Pierre smiled grimly. "As it happens, I am importing some in small quantities as we speak. It is a 'Special Edition' of brandy, or so it says on the casks. By the time the summer solstice arrives, we will have more than enough to accomplish our goals."

"It seems that we have a plan, then. What must we do first?" Thorstad asked.

"The very first thing you must do is invite the Queen to your gala wine and liqueur tasting event. I will do all the planning and arranging for the party; all you must do is persuade Her Majesty that it will be for the good of Arendelle!"

"When will we have this event?"

"I think two weeks should be ample time for me to set everything up. The ship that arrived yesterday had a full cargo hold, with many new varieties of cognac, brandy and wine. We will be the toast of the kingdom, mon ami!" Pierre smiled broadly at his friend.

* * *

Thorstad lost no time reaching out to make an appointment with Elsa. She was able to fit him into her schedule the following day.

"Your Majesty, thank you so much for accommodating my request. I know how full your schedule is." Thorstad said as he bowed to her.

"Please, have a seat, Baron Thorstad. What can I do for you?" Elsa indicated he should take a seat in front of her desk.

He proceeded to explain the idea of the wine tasting party and invited her to attend. "I realize that it may be a bit presumptuous of me, Your Majesty, but such a social event where you are a guest, not the hostess, may prove to be a setting where your people would be more comfortable speaking freely to you about events or moods in the kingdom. And perhaps it would be more enjoyable for you when someone else is responsible for making sure all goes well." He smiled charmingly.

Elsa was a little skeptical, but she had to admit he had a point. She smiled back at him politely. "And when is this event, Baron? I must check my schedule."

He handed her two thick envelopes of the finest stationery. "It will be in two weeks. The details are here in the invitations, Your Majesty. I include one for the Princess Anna, as well. And a guest, should she choose to bring someone."

"Thank you, Baron Thorstad. Looking at my calendar, I believe I can accept your kind invitation." Elsa took the envelopes and laid them on her desk. Rising, she continued, "I hope I don't offend you, but I fit this meeting in with some difficulty, and I must get back to my other duties. Kai will escort you out."

Thorstad rose and bowed. "I understand completely, Your Majesty. Thank you so much for accepting my hospitality. I assure you, it will be a memorable event."

She picked up the envelopes after he left and skimmed through the invitation with her name on it. She looked thoughtful as she tapped it on her palm. She supposed he was right about the fact that she would enjoy not having the responsibility of throwing the party. She would still be the center of attention, though. She put the invitations aside and began reading another report from the endless stack on her desk.


	11. How Neatly Spread His Claws

Elsa shared the story of the party invitations with Anna that evening over dinner. Anna read her own invitation with delight, squealing, "Oh, Elsa, this will be so much fun! And it says I can bring a guest...time to talk Kristoff into polishing those new boots of his again."

Her sister smiled indulgently at the Princess. "I'm sure he'd rather polish those boots than wear them, Anna. But he does look quite dashing in that suit you helped him pick out."

They finished their meal and went to the library for an evening of conversation over tea and cookies.

As Elsa sat in front of the fire Anna lay with her head in her sister's lap, dozing off in contentment as Elsa tenderly caressed her shoulder.

"_There are times like this when I can't believe how lucky I was that she never stopped loving me. We should both be dead, not sitting here enjoying a warm fire."_ Elsa reflected to herself. _"Oh, Anna, nothing will ever hurt you as long as I have anything to say about it."_

She watched the crackling fire until it was time for bed, her sister snuggled warmly in her lap.

* * *

"Admiral Naismith is here for his regular meeting, Your Majesty." Kai announced to Elsa.

"Please show him in, Kai." Elsa tidied the papers in front of her and put them in a neat pile on the corner of her desk. Somehow the pile never seemed to shrink.

"Your Majesty," the Admiral bowed and sat down. He was carrying a leather dispatch folder with his regular reports to Elsa.

"Do we have anything interesting in this week's batch of fairy tales and fantasy, Admiral?" Elsa smiled at him.

She appreciated the hard work of Colonel Nordholm and his people, and she truly did understand how necessary it was to keep her and Anna safe. Never in the history of the world had any ruler ever been loved by everyone; there was always someone who felt enough of a grievance to risk their own life to strike back at a perceived oppressor. Elsa's magic complicated that even more; 'sorceress' and 'monster' she remained to some people. Not many, but it only took one determined assassin to end her life.

"Nothing really new, Your Majesty. Ongoing investigations, follow up on known trouble makers, and we are still trying to firm up that report of a potential assassin entering the kingdom." he replied. "Although I would like to discuss the security situation that we will be facing at Baron Thorstad's party next week."

Elsa said, "Security situation?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. You will be there along with most of the Royal Council and much of the rest of the nobility of Arendelle. Imagine the havoc that could be wreaked by someone determined to do you harm." the Admiral said.

"What do you suggest, Admiral?"

"Simply that you take a full squad of your Queen's Own with you. If you arrive shortly before the other guests, they can search the Baron's manor for anything or anyone suspicious, then be vigilant watching over you and the others during the event." he replied. He sighed and continued, "There is one further thing, however, and I know you won't like it."

Elsa simply looked at him and made a little gesture with her hand to encourage him to continue.

"It is my opinion that the Princess Anna should not attend this affair. We have nothing that would lead us to suspect any foul play is planned, but a worst case scenario would cause Arendelle to lose both of you, with no one but distant cousins left in the succession. It would cause chaos, even more chaos than would normally attend the assassination of the Queen." The Admiral waited for her reaction.

Elsa winced. He was right; she didn't like it, and Anna would like it even less. Anna was giddy in her anticipation of the gala and she would not take this news with anything other than angry disappointment.

The Admiral could tell from Elsa's expression that his suggestion troubled her. He knew Anna well enough to understand why. "Your Majesty, if you like, I could brief the Princess on our concerns and perhaps convince her of the necessity of this."

She waved him off. "No, Admiral, this is my responsibility. I do appreciate your offer, though." She smiled a little crookedly. "I would never ask you to face the wrath of Anna. Unfortunately, that's my job as I am _in loco parentis_ to her. Even though the job sometimes drives me _loco." _

The Admiral winced at Elsa's bi-lingual pun. "As you wish, Your Majesty. I don't envy you the task at all."

They went on to review the rest of the information the Admiral had brought, then Elsa walked him out when they finished.

Turning back into the hallway leading to the dining room, Elsa thought about how to tell Anna the bad news. She wouldn't put it off; the best way to grasp a nettle is firmly. She would get it over with instead of surprising Anna with it at the last minute. Elsa decided to ask the cook for a little extra dessert tonight. Maybe it would help soothe Anna. It was a forlorn hope, but it was all she had.

* * *

Elsa was right about Anna's reaction to the news.

"Elsaaaa! Do you know how hard it was for me to convince Kristoff to get dressed up for a swank party?" Anna whined.

"Honey, there will be other parties; parties where I've declined the invitation. It's just prudent for us to take a precaution that doesn't put both of us at risk at the same time." Elsa tried to calm her sister down.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! How risky is a PARTY? With your guardsmen standing around watching everyone like hawks all night? Not to mention your magic. Who can hurt you? Or me? Like you would let something happen to me." Anna was trying to wheedle Elsa into changing her mind. And failing.

"No, Anna, I'm sorry. You can't go. Maybe you and Kristoff can do something else together, but you and I won't be together at the Baron's manor." Elsa forced herself to be firm, even though she felt guilty for spoiling the fun for Anna.

"Okay. Okay. Don't think I'm going to feel good about this, though. Sometimes I think you stay up late at nights thinking up ways to spoil my fun." Anna stomped out of the dining room in an ill temper. Elsa knew she was really angry; she had left her chocolates behind. Shaking her head, she picked them up; she would take them to Anna's room as a peace offering. Maybe they would help Anna forgive her.

* * *

Anna was still grumbling the next day as she went looking for Kristoff. _"Sometimes, Elsa, you are just too cautious. You still haven't figured out how to have any fun, and you insist on spoiling mine, too."_

When she wasn't being mad at her sister, Anna knew Elsa only had her best interests at heart. Right now however, she was working up a full blown tantrum again. She struggled to tamp her anger down. Somewhere inside, she knew Elsa wasn't doing it just to be mean.

When she got to the Ice Guild hall, she discovered that Kristoff was off somewhere in the mountains. It would be a month or more before they would start harvesting ice, but the harvesters liked to survey the lakes and decide which would provide the best ice crop once the weather turned warmer

"_Great. Nothing is going right today."_ Anna stood outside the guild hall and decided a cup of hot chocolate would help lighten her mood. She walked to the inn and ordered her drink. She was sipping it with a scowl on her face when she noticed someone standing next to her.

"Bonjour, Your Highness, how good to see you again!" It was Monsieur Pierre and another man Anna had never met before.

"Um, bonjour, Monsieur Pierre, and …?" Anna looked at the second man with a questioning air.

"Forgive my poor manners. Princess Anna of Arendelle, may I present Georges Auguste Couthon, Marquis d'La Montagne, a business associate visiting your fair kingdom?"

The Marquis bowed graciously and murmured, "Enchanté, Your Highness. I am most gratified to make your acquaintance." He smiled a little shyly.

Anna simply nodded in acknowledgment. Her French was execrable, all five or six words of it. Elsa, of course, spoke it perfectly. It was one of those languages of diplomacy, so naturally the Queen had been educated to fluency. For the millionth time Anna glumly compared herself to her sister and found herself falling short.

Couthon spoke to Pierre, "Rob, I will meet you back at the warehouse, we have much work to do to prepare for the party next week." With a bow to the Princess, he left.

"May I join you briefly, Your Highness? If it is an imposition, I understand..." Pierre asked Anna.

"No, no. Please, sit. I'm just passing the time this afternoon anyway." Anna was always willing to talk to people. Maybe some conversation would help her shake the dismal mood she had worked herself into.

"Merci. May I offer to refresh your beverage? I feel the need for a hot coffee. Your kingdom is very pleasant, but your weather is not for one such as I. I spent most of my youth in the southern parts of France, where the warm breezes come from the Mediterranean." Pierre had waved over a server and ordered for them both.

"Is your friend also from the south?" Anna asked as they sipped their drinks.

"Non, he is from Paris. He seeks to make his own name in the world, rather than simply be known as his father's son. So he has come to learn the business of trade with me. A fine young man, not one of those useless princes of which Europe has such a glut."

Anna could feel empathy for someone trying to get out from another's shadow. "Will he be in Arendelle long?"

"Actually, I am hoping he will prove to be skilled enough for me to leave here as my business manager. I travel so much, seeking out new opportunities, and it is difficult to find subordinates who are both capable and can be trusted. Georges is shaping up well in that regard," Pierre responded. He went on, "I am hoping he will fit in here; he will be attending the soirée next week. Perhaps you could introduce him to some of the other young people of Arendelle's nobility, if that would not be too presumptuous a request."

"Well, I would certainly do so, but I won't be there, I'm afraid." Anna sighed with her disappointment.

"How distressing. Is there some conflict?" Pierre asked her.

"No, just my sister being paranoid. She doesn't want both of us to be somewhere together in case something awful were to happen," she explained.

Pierre mulled this over for a bit, then... "Your Highness, your sister is only acting as she is advised by those who are concerned for your safety. However minute the possibility of any risk at such a party, they must assume the worst. It is unfortunate that you will not be there … your beauty would brighten the gathering considerably."

"Thank you, but I'm sure my sister will brighten things up quite well," Anna replied a little sourly.

"Your Highness, you do not give yourself enough credit. Perhaps if you were to persuade her that her fears are groundless, we will indeed be graced by the presence of both of you. I only hope such a happy chance comes to pass." Pierre rose and bowed to her. "Now, sadly, I must return to my warehouse to help prepare for the Baron Thorstad's party. Au revoir."

Anna nodded and waved as he left. She continued to sit with her chocolate, thinking, _"Maybe Elsa is wrong. What could happen at a party?" _ A crazy idea began to form. Perhaps forgiveness would be easier to get from Elsa than permission.

* * *

Elsa was preparing to leave for the wine-tasting at Baron Thorstad's manor when Anna met them at the main castle entrance. "Hi," Elsa said, wondering if Anna was going to make some last minute attempt to talk herself into the party.

"Hi. Just thought I'd see you off. Have fun!" Anna seemed cheerful enough, Elsa thought. Maybe she had misjudged her sister.

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?" Elsa was trying to make amends.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Anna hugged her sister and waved as the entourage of Elsa and her guards left the castle.

Once Elsa and the guards had left the courtyard, Anna hurried back to her room and changed into her party dress. If she just showed up, what could Elsa do? She wouldn't want to make a scene in front of all the nobility of the kingdom, after all. Anna hadn't told Kristoff about Elsa's decision, and had arranged to meet him at the Ice Guild hall. He could plead that he was completely innocent if ... when Elsa got angry with Anna.

She arranged her hair, but left her braids down for the moment. Putting on her regular cloak to cover her formal dress, she left the castle, telling the guards she was off to the Ice Guild hall (true) to spend an evening with Kristoff. (Also true, albeit not the whole truth.) She wasn't really LYING to them, now was she? She would arrange her hair properly at the Guild Hall.

* * *

Kristoff tugged uncomfortably at the high starched collar of his shirt. He thought the high waist of his coat and the tails made him look ridiculous. The coat was a dark shade of forest green with the collar and cuffs in black velvet, and his cummerbund was the same tint of purple as the accents in Anna's dress.

He and Anna were on their way to Baron Thorstad's manor after she had met him at the guild hall.

"You look wonderful, Kristoff." Anna tried to reassure him. "With that white velvet vest and silk cravat, you'll have all the other ladies there swooning and trying to flirt with you. Just remember that the girl that brought you is a very jealous redhead! If you have eyes for someone else, she'll hunt you down and … and … tickle you!" she said, as she poked the arm she was holding on to.

"Yeah, well...don't worry. In these shoes, I can't run very fast, anyway." He was wearing low cut black boots and black trousers. The boots were plain, none of those silly buckles. It was hard enough getting them polished to the mirror-bright shininess Anna insisted on without complicating things.

Anna just hugged his arm more tightly and grinned. They made an elegant couple when she could talk him out of his work clothes. She started daydreaming about another situation where she would talk him out of his clothes...

* * *

**** Estate of Bjorn Thorstad ****

Pierre watched his subordinates bringing in the casks and cased bottles of the brandy, wine and cognac Baron Thorstad had ordered for the wine-tasting party.

"Careful with those casks, you fool! That's the finest liquor to be had on the Continent! Not the sorry excuse for what this miserable kingdom calls rum!" Pierre snarled as one of the men almost dropped a cask marked 'Special Edition'.

"Aye, sir, sorry, sir." the chastised servant got a better grip on the small barrel and continued on to the wine cellar.

Thorstad himself bustled over, a satisfied look on his face. Surveying the activity, he clapped Pierre on the back and smiled. "This will be a party the kingdom will never forget, hey, Rob?"

"Indeed." Pierre thought to himself, "_If you only knew, mon ami." _

He continued to supervise the unloading of the wagons that brought in the casks, barrels, and cases of the supplies for the party. Much of it was being stored in the wine cellar below the manor house, to be brought up as needed during the evening. Pierre paid particular attention to the small barrels marked "Brandy – Special Edition". Those were very special, indeed.

* * *

Thorstad surveyed the Great Hall of his manor, gratified by what he saw. There were tables set up near the walls, with footmen in black tailcoats prepared to present the drinks to the guests as they circulated. Along one wall was a long table with a display of all the various wines, cordials, and liquors that were available for purchase from Pierre's import firm. The samples would entice the Arendelle gentry into broadening their tastes and presumably create a newly fashionable appreciation for the sophistication of the Continent.

His guests would begin arriving soon, including the Queen of Arendelle. Once word had gotten out that Elsa would be attending, Thorstad was inundated by friends, and friends of friends, all begging for an invitation. It would be a social coup to be one of those at this event. He didn't think there was a single noble who would miss out on being present. It was just like Pierre had described it; everyone wanted to be in on the latest fashion.

His butler approached him and announced, "Baron Thorstad, the Queen has arrived. "

Thorstad hurried to the foyer of his manor, where he greeted Elsa with a deep bow and a murmured, "Your Majesty, you honor me with your presence."

She nodded in return. "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Grace. I do have one request, however."

"Anything at all, Your Majesty."

Elsa gestured at the Captain of the Queen's Own Guard who stood beside her. "My guardsmen must search your home, and they will be with us all through the evening." She smiled, "The demands of security are a burden I must bear, I'm afraid."

"Of course, Your Majesty, I understand completely." Baron Thorstad turned to his butler and instructed him, "Please take the Captain and his men where ever they wish to go."

The butler nodded, and said to the Captain, "If your men will please come this way?"

Elsa followed Thorstad as he led her into the Great Hall. The Guard Captain preceded them, a pace ahead, his eyes darting back and forth to assess the room as they entered. Thorstad led them to the large table where Pierre was giving last minute instructions to the footmen setting up the display.

"Your Majesty, I believe you remember Monsieur Robin Pierre? He is the supplier of the fine liquors and wines we will be sampling tonight."

"Indeed I remember Monsieur Pierre." Elsa replied. Pierre bowed, as did the servants behind the table.

Elsa made small talk with the two men as more guests arrived, and soon the hall was full of gaily dressed men and women moving from table to table and tasting the various libations offered. Her guards had returned from their search, and several of them stood against the walls, surveying the party with keen eyes. The Captain never left Elsa's side, and two guardsmen walked through the house on a continuous patrol.

Elsa circulated with the other guests, all of them sampling the fine wines and other liquors set out for the demonstration. She was careful to only sip at the offered drinks. Elsa had never been drunk and had no desire to discover what it was like. She had been told that the stuff went down a lot smoother than it came back up.

"Your Majesty, may I ask how you are enjoying the evening?" Baron Thorstad returned to from another conversation with a broad smile on his face.

"You set a fine table for us, Your Grace. Of course, this will only increase demand for the wares of Monsieur Pierre, will it not?" Elsa had a fine sense of how the market worked. The first sample was free; once the customer was enamored by the product, the price went up. She had no problem with her merchant class making money as long it was done through honest trade. So far as she knew, Thorstad had never been engaged in any business deal that had any hint of graft.

"You have found out our fiendish plot, Your Majesty! I applaud your keen sense of marketing savvy." Thorstad was beaming. "I had expected to see the Princess Anna here this evening. I hope she is not indisposed?"

* * *

Anna was not indisposed; she was furiously trying to free herself from her bonds and the gag that was choking her.

"Stop struggling, mon cheri, before I club you to sleep like we did your beau." The man riding with her in the wagon sneered at her, giving her a little kick in the ribs for emphasis. She glared at him with hatred in her eyes.

She and Kristoff had been met at the door to the manor by Pierre. He had greeted them both, then bowed and kissed her hand graciously and informed her that he had prepared a private room for a special tasting of some fine Belgian chocolates that Pierre was looking to import to Arendelle.

As they entered what was purportedly the sampling room, Anna was seized by two men, who clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle any screams and quickly tied her hands and gagged her. Kristoff was clubbed from behind, his unconscious body falling heavily to the floor. He was too dangerous to be left able to fight with them. They tied his hands and feet as well, then gagged him. It took four men to carry his limp body to follow the men holding the Princess.

They dragged them to a storage room near the kitchen, which was empty as all the servants were busy in the Great Hall with the guests. Pierre had dispatched one of his men to distract the two patrolling guards into checking out something 'suspicious' in the stable. They would find nothing more than a drunken stable hand waving a pitchfork, but it would keep them busy long enough for Pierre to get the Princess away.

Anna screamed something that might have been "What are you doing?!" through the gag.

Pierre made sure her bonds were tight before replying. "Why, Your Highness, I am fulfilling an oath I swore to my dying father as he bled out in my arms. My father was one of those peasants who stormed the Bastille and marched on Versailles to overthrow the decadent monarchy. Death to all Royalty!"

Anna could only look puzzled over her gag. He sneered as he explained.

"I was only ten years old when the Revolution was betrayed by the monarchists! The hero of the people Maximilian Robespierre was murdered to put an end to the uprising to throw off the yoke of tyranny! I took my nom de guerre to honor him, and swore that I would not rest until I had destroyed every monarch and noble I could reach."

He looked down at Anna with contempt. "Today will be the master stroke I have been dreaming of for years. All the royalty and nobility of Arendelle, wiped out in a single night! The people will rise up free at last of their masters and your evil sister's cruel reign!"

Anna was horrified. No! Elsa!

Pierre turned to his two henchmen and instructed them, "Put her in that cart out back, and take her to the warehouse. She will live long enough to realize that her sister and the rest of the wretched nobility are dead. Perhaps I will send her to one of those places where a beautiful red headed woman is worth much more than a cask of fine brandy, a place where her noble bloodline will only make her a more desirable concubine. Go now, get her out of here."

Checking Kristoff's bonds and the lump on the back of his head before he left the storage room, he was satisfied that the man would not regain consciousness before the manor went up in flames. Pierre locked the door to the storage room behind him and returned to the party.

The two minions picked Anna up and hustled her out the door of the manor's kitchen to the rear courtyard where an enclosed wagon emblazoned with the name of Pierre's import firm waited, the two-horse team snuffling restlessly. They lifted her into the back and one of them joined her, slamming the doors closed behind him. The other went to the front, got into the driver's seat, and flicked the reins to get the team hauling the wagon into motion. The driver waved casually to the guards at the gate as the wagon left the estate and headed back to the warehouse district near the docks.


	12. And Welcome Little Fishes In

Treason and murder ever kept together,  
As two yoke-devils sworn to either's purpose.******  
Shakespeare**

* * *

Bjorn Thorstad was ecstatic with satisfaction at the success of his party. It was unfortunate that the Princess wasn't there to mingle with the Marquis d'La Montagne, but he was sure that they would have many more opportunities at the events that were sure to be held in imitation of this one. The Marquis was the son of an old friend of Pierre's, of the right family background to be a suitable consort for the Princess, once she was … available. No one in Arendelle needed to know that he had been disinherited, and was thus grateful to Pierre and Thorstad for introducing him to a woman of such beauty and means as a Crown Princess. He would do nicely.

One of Thorstad's servants came up to him with a troubled look on his face. "Your Grace, please, we have a … problem that I think you need to see."

Thorstad followed the man to the pantry that led down to the wine cellars. "What is it, man? I have guests to entertain."

"Your Grace, I was going to bring another cask of brandy to serve, and I grabbed the first one here in the pantry, and when I tapped it ... I found ... this." The servant held out the cask for the Baron's inspection. "I don't know what this is, Your Grace, but it certainly isn't brandy."

Thorstad looked at the small hole in the cask where the man had tapped out the bung. It seemed to show the cask was full of a fine black … powder. Thorstad reeled. "Let me see that cask!" he said, and took it from the servant.

Staring at the inscription "Brandy – Special Edition", Thorstad almost dropped the cask. He realized just in time what a disaster could result and steadied himself. What in the name of all that was holy was a cask of gunpowder doing in his pantry? Pierre, he needed to find Pierre.

"Your Grace? What's wrong?" the servant's question brought Thorstad out of his panic.

"Uh, nothing, nothing. This cask is just full of the … charcoal that we use for aging the brandy. The distillery must have gotten them mixed up and marked this one with the wrong designation. Just take one of the cases of wine, instead." Thorstad very carefully placed the cask on the shelf and feigned calm as the servant did as he was told.

When he was sure that the man was gone, Thorstad ran down the stairs to the wine cellar. Yanking open the door, he was dismayed to see that it was completely dark. He reached for the box of matches sitting next to the door ready to light a candle when he realized what a stupid idea that might be. He froze, uncertain of what to do next.

"Here, mon ami, let me help you," Pierre's voice came from behind him. He whirled to see his 'friend' standing there with a gun in his hand.

"Pierre, what are you doing? Why do you have the gunpow..." Thorstad stuttered to a halt when Pierre raised the gun to point directly between his eyes.

"How unfortunate that you should discover my clever ploy, mon ami. It would have been so much more fitting if you had been blown to hell while still as oblivious as you have been up to now," Pierre sneered.

"Wha..what do you mean?" Thorstad was confused.

"The Queen will die tonight, not two months from now. She will die along with all the filthy nobility of this miserable kingdom. As will you, mon ami, all of you will be blown to kingdom come when the powder in your wine cellar is set off precisely at 10 o'clock. Unfortunately, you will already be dead. Au revoir, monarchist pig! Vive la révolution!" Thorstad was horrified to see Pierre's finger begin to tighten on the trigger.

A voice came down from the pantry, "Your Grace, the Queen is looking for you to say she's leaving."

Startled by the interruption, Pierre whipped his head around to see who was there and Thorstad took the opportunity to shove him to the ground and run up the stairs. Heart pounding, he slammed the door of the pantry, astonishing the servant who had come looking for him. "Where's the Queen? We need her guards. Run and get one of the guards, man! Get all of them!"

Thorstad cursed as he realized that this pantry door had no lock. He could hear Pierre scrambling to his feet and running up the stairs. All the frightened Baron could do was lean against the door, holding it closed against the thump of Pierre's body trying to force it open. He could hear the man screaming obscenities in French, pounding on the door, and trying again to push it open against Thorstad's resistance.

Two of Elsa's guards and the Captain came running into the room, trailed by the servant Thorstad had dispatched to find them. "Assassin! A bomb! You must get everyone out!" Thorstad managed to gasp out, still holding the door shut against Pierre's efforts.

A shot rang out; Pierre had decided to force the door open with his pistol. Thorstad screamed shrilly and clutched himself; the bullet had blown through the door and hit him in the back. Writhing in pain and bleeding profusely he fell heavily to the floor, and Pierre burst through the door waving the pistol and looking wild-eyed at the guardsmen. He took two more shots; neither of them hit anyone but it caused the guardsmen to drop to the floor quickly while drawing their own pistols. Before they could do anything to take down Pierre, the man ran out of the room toward the room where the party was still going on.

Scrambling to his feet, the Captain ordered the one of the guardsmen to stay with Thorstad and the servant, who was trying to stanch the bloody wound in Thorstad's back. He ordered the second guard to get a horse from the stable and ride back to the castle for reinforcements. Then the Captain ran to protect his Queen.

* * *

When the panicked servant had run into the main room calling for Elsa's guards, the ones who remained behind had immediately moved to put themselves between her and the doorway through which he had come. They didn't know exactly what was wrong, but they weren't going to risk leaving her unprotected. "Your Majesty, you need to leave. Now. Please go, we'll handle whatever this is," one of the guards told her, watching the doorway with his drawn pistol at the ready. Elsa wasn't going to argue, not when the entire room heard a shot ring out from somewhere, shortly followed by two more.

There were gasps and a women screamed. The guests were milling nervously; their fear was clear from they way they looked at each other and started edging toward the door. It would only take one panicked person to set them off in a stampede. Elsa had to stop that from happening. She spoke up to the room at large, her voice of command cutting through the clamor, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let us all leave in an orderly manner. A panic will not serve us. If you would please move to the front door and exit the manor while my guards sort this out, I'm sure we can avoid any injury." She nodded at her guard and began to move toward the door at a measured pace. Her serene demeanor managed to tamp down any incipient panic in the crowd, and they gathered themselves and tensely began to exit. None of them were willing to show fear in the face of their Queen's example.

* * *

Pierre had changed his mind about his destination as he ran from the Captain. He knew the manor layout and ducked into a side corridor and held perfectly still, flattened against the wall next to the door he had come through; making no sound he let the Captain run past him. Then he raced down the hall and out a side door. He could be at his warehouse and make an escape before they figured out where he had gone. In less than ten minutes the bomb would destroy the manor, and he was sure Thorstad was dead and would be unable to alert anyone to the exact nature of the danger.

* * *

The Captain ran back into the room where the party had come to a disastrous halt. He was lucky that his men were so well-trained, or he might have found himself dead at their hands. A quick glance told him that the guests were flowing toward the front door of the manor to exit, and that Elsa was surrounded by his men as they moved in that direction also. He saw no sign of Pierre. How had the man eluded him?

Elsa stopped walking toward the door and called out to him, "Captain, what is going on? Are we in danger?" She knew that her magic could make a difference if something threatening was going on and was ready to intervene if she needed to.

The Captain was torn. He wanted her out of here as quickly as possible, but he knew he would stampede the crowd into panicked flight if he wasn't careful. He came up to Elsa and spoke in a low tone that wouldn't be heard by anyone else. "Your Majesty, Baron Thorstad has been shot by Pierre. He was yelling something about assassins and a bomb. We need to get you out of here, now."

Startled, Elsa said, "Take me to the Baron, at once! Get the rest of these people out of here." She began moving toward the doorway to the kitchen before the Captain could do anything to stop her. Cursing her damned reckless courage, he waved two men to lead while he covered her back. He had no idea where Pierre had gone, and the man could be lurking anywhere waiting to kill the Queen.

When they got to the pantry, Thorstad was lying in a pool of blood; the steward was still futilely trying to stanch the flow with some white towels. One look told Elsa the Baron had no more than minutes to live. Struggling for breath, he looked up at her and managed to stammer, "B..bomb. Wine Cellar. Go off at ten o'clock...Pierre set it up." and then he went limp.

The guard Captain pulled a watch out of his pocket and was horrified to see they had less than 2 minutes before the bomb went off.

"Your Majesty, you must leave NOW!" He was thinking that if he knocked her out, they could carry her out before the place went up in flames and destruction. He made a move to do so, but she had already run down the stairs into the wine cellar. Swearing mighty oaths, he followed her in a futile attempt to stop her and get her to safety.

Elsa conjured an icy glow in her right hand and used it to take one look at the clockwork mechanism sitting on top of a neat stack of casks marked "Brandy – Special Edition" before freezing the entire room and everything in it into a solid block of ice. She doubted any mechanism would be able to set off the bomb now.

She turned to go back up the stairs and almost knocked her guard Captain over. "Oh, I'm sorry, Captain."

The veins stood out in his neck and his face was red as the Captain tried desperately to control himself. Words failed him. He didn't know whether to scream or weep with frustration. How was he supposed to protect a woman who kept running TOWARD danger?! He simply nodded at her while grinding his teeth, and moved aside to let her go up the steps to the main level of the house.

"Your Majesty, even though you have apparently disarmed one bomb, there may be others. Please let us get you away from this place!" He pleaded with her as they reached the kitchen.

"I agree, Captain, let us ..." she was interrupted by a loud thumping from another pantry door.

The Captain moved to place himself between her and the noise, then nodded at his men to investigate. While one of them stood ready to shoot, the other unlocked and opened the door. They were astonished to see a finely-dressed man bound and gagged, apparently thumping his feet against the door. The guard bent over the man, pulling off the gag.

"Where's Anna?" Kristoff bellowed.

"Kristoff?!" Elsa gasped.

The guards hurriedly cut his bonds and helped him to his feet.

"Elsa? Where's Anna?" He was wild-eyed and trembling.

"Your Majesty, we can continue this conversation outside. You are leaving this manor NOW; either walking or being carried!" The Guard Captain had finally reached his limits. He gestured at his men and they (politely) started pushing Kristoff and Elsa out the back door and hustled them around to the front of the manor where they could commandeer a carriage to get her back to the castle.

Elsa tried to get Kristoff to explain himself while they were being 'helped' to get away from any potential threats that may remain in the house.

"What do you mean, 'where's Anna'? She's supposed to be back at the castle, not here. I had told her not to come tonight, for security reasons." Elsa managed to exclaim. If Kristoff was here, dressed like that, it could only mean that Anna … oh, no! Elsa's gut clenched in sudden dismay as a suspicion grew in her mind. Anna had ignored her and come to the party anyway.

"What happened? How did you get like that?" Elsa demanded.

Kristoff staggered a little while rubbing the lump on the back of his head. "We were met by that Pierre guy. He said he wanted her to come to a special tasting. We walked into a room and two goons grabbed Anna, but before I could do anything, I got clubbed. I just woke up a couple of minutes ago and started kicking the door to attract some attention." He looked miserable.

"Kristoff, I'm guessing Anna didn't tell you about my forbidding her to come tonight?" Elsa asked.

He just shook his head forlornly. He hadn't known, and now Anna was in danger. "Elsa, you know I would never go along with something like that..."

"So where is she?" the Captain interrupted. "Your Majesty, we need to get you back to the castle and start searching the town immediately."

Elsa had to agree, however little she wanted to go back to the castle instead of joining the search for Anna. "Very well, Captain. Kristoff, we'll find Anna if it takes the entire corps of Royal Marines to do it."

Before the Captain had pushed her out the door of the kitchen, she had looked down at the Baron's still body, lying in a pool of blood. She wondered if he was guilty of treason, or was just a dupe for Pierre. If they didn't catch up with Pierre, she might never know. If they didn't catch up with Pierre, she might never see Anna again. Her heart sank at the thought.

"Captain, get that search underway, now. Start with the docks and warehouse district. Seal the roads and the port. No one enters or leaves this kingdom until we find Anna and Pierre." Elsa ordered.

When Elsa, Kristoff and her party of guards came to the drive at the front of the manor, they found a milling crowd of party guests being shooed by more Queen's Own into leaving on foot or in their carriages. The servants were being herded together and pushed into a group as far from the manor as possible. They would be guarded until they could be questioned to see if any of them were part of the plot.

The reinforcements had apparently arrived. A troop of Royal Marines rode up, and the major who was in command of the fifty men dismounted and saluted Elsa.

"Your orders, Your Majesty? We have a report of an attempted assassination and a bomb threat." He nodded at her Guard Captain as well.

The Captain ordered him, "Major, I'm leaving you in overall command here while I take Her Majesty back to the castle and safety. I want your men and the Queen's Own I leave behind to search every room and outbuilding of this manor thoroughly. You are looking for anything suspicious, but in particular casks marked "Brandy – Special Edition". Those contain gunpowder, so extreme caution is necessary. I'm taking two men with us, the rest are under your command until this situation is … resolved."

The Guard Captain continued, "Also, I need half of your troop to immediately go down to the warehouse district and search the warehouses of Rob Pierre's trading house. Tell them to be careful...we suspect that he is holding the Princess Anna hostage. Send one of your men to the barracks and order them to turn out the full regiment to seal this kingdom; no one is to leave or enter until further notice."

Elsa maintained a stoic expression while the Captain gave his orders, but her inner turmoil was threatening to overwhelm her. Her mouth was dry, she tried to swallow and couldn't. She wrapped her arms around herself; her stomach was churning and she blamed herself for not doing a better job explaining why Anna shouldn't come to the party. _"This is my fault; I should have explained this to her more clearly." _

Next to her, Kristoff was breathing heavily, clenching and unclenching his fists. He ran a jerky hand through his hair, then rubbed his face. She put a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. Her touch startled him and he looked at her with feverish, over-bright eyes.

"Elsa, what if ...?" he couldn't finish the sentence and bit his lip so hard she could see a trickle of blood. She reached up and wiped it away with her thumb.

"We'll find her, Kristoff; we'll find her before anything happens to her … " she wished she believed what she was saying to him.

A guardsman waved a carriage over and they got Elsa and Kristoff into it. The Captain and two guards got in as well, and the Captain ordered the driver, "The castle, as quickly as you can get through this throng." A nod and the driver flicked his reins to get the two-horse team moving out of the courtyard.

They hadn't gone more than a few hundred feet when there was a distant explosion from the docks. Looking toward the sound, they could see flames began to lick toward the sky.

Elsa realized she knew where Pierre had run off to. "ANNA!" she screamed.


	13. With Gently Smiling Jaws

'Tis the sport to have the enginer  
Hoist with his own petard.**  
Shakespeare**

* * *

Pierre's blood pounded in his ears as he ran toward his warehouse. The adrenaline surging through his body let him cover the distance in less than ten minutes. Skidding to a stop outside the entrance, his chest was heaving as he dragged in great gulps of air, trying to catch his breath. He fumbled in his pocket for his watch and was shocked to see that it was five minutes after ten. His bomb had not gone off! Snarling, he pushed the watch back into his pocket and fumbled to open the door, hands shaking so badly it took three tries to fit the key into the lock.

He ran to the office where he knew Saint-Just would be waiting for him.

"Where is she, where is the Princess?" he demanded of a startled Saint-Just.

"She's in the safe room, tied up. What's wrong, what happened? I didn't hear an explosion," demanded his associate.

"No time, we need to get out of here, now, before the Queen and her men come. Once they realize what happened, this will be the first place they look. Is everyone else aboard the ship?" Pierre was rummaging in the desk drawer for bullets to reload his pistol. He stuffed it in his pocket when he finished.

Saint-Just answered him, "Yes, everyone is aboard except you and me. The tide's favorable, we can cast off as soon as we get her aboard."

"You go get her; I'm going to set this place on fire to keep them busy and cover our trail. I'll meet you out front."

Pierre cursed himself for not having the Princess taken aboard the ship instead of putting her in the warehouse. He had let himself be too confident in the success of his plan. Making a getaway with the Queen's Guard howling after him wasn't the way it was supposed to happen; they should have been too busy sifting through the rubble of Thorstad's manor house looking for bits and pieces of the Queen and her nobles to worry about him.

Saint-Just hurried to the room where they had confined Anna. Unlocking it, he opened the door and went in to pick her up and carry her to the ship. He could hear Pierre splashing lamp oil at the back of the warehouse, then a "whoosh" and the crackle of flames. There was an explosion; he supposed Pierre had a cask of the gunpowder set up where he set the fire. He needed to get out of here, fast. Where was the Princess?

He was stunned that the room seemed to be empty. He froze in place, not understanding. Where was she?

Anna swung the board she had pried loose from one of the shelves and knocked Saint-Just flat on his face with a blow to the back of his head. She had finally managed to work herself free of the ropes binding her hands and feet just in time to set up her little ambush as she heard him fumbling to unlock the door.

Dropping the board, she ran out the door … right into Pierre's arms. "Not so fast, you little bitch!"

Kicking and struggling, Anna tried to scream, "Help, Help me!" hoping to attract someone's attention. She managed a good kick to Pierre's shin, but it wasn't enough to loosen his grip.

He twisted her arms behind her and pushed her to the floor. Putting a knee into her back to hold her down, he gripped both her wrists in one hand and pulled a knife out of his pocket.

"I should cut your throat, but that is too quick. Since I apparently failed to kill your sister, I'll just leave you here to burn in her place!" he snarled. He stabbed her viciously in her side then kicked her aside as he ran out the door.

Saint-Just staggered out of the room where Anna had ambushed him. "Wait, Pierre, wait for me!" He glanced at Anna writhing on the floor.

"Help me, please!" She reached out a hand to him.

"Die, you royal whore! I should have killed you earlier." he spat his hatred as he ran after Pierre.

Anna struggled to push herself to her hands and knees but fell back heavily. She whimpered at the pain in her side where Pierre had stabbed her. The warehouse was rapidly filling with smoke and she heard the flames and felt their heat as they drew closer. There was another explosion at the back of the warehouse. Dust and splinters fell from the rafters, causing her to cough. That hurt.

"_I'm going to die here. Oh, Elsa, why didn't I listen to you? Kristoff..."_ she agonized over how they would feel if she didn't escape. Painfully, slowly, she tried to drag herself toward the door where Pierre and Saint-Just had gone. She had only gotten a few feet when her strength gave out and she fell.

* * *

To say the Captain was unwilling to let Elsa go to the docks was an understatement, and nothing she could say moved him from his position. He was sworn to protect her and protect her he would, with her permission or not. Kristoff finally grabbed him by the lapels of his uniform jacket and snarled, "Captain, your Queen is ORDERING you to TAKE HER TO HER SISTER. I suggest you LISTEN TO HER!" and threw the Captain back into the seat while glaring at the other two guards.

Elsa snapped at the Captain before he did something foolish like trying to punch Kristoff. "Captain, you have a choice. Either this carriage and those Marines take me to that fire, or I will walk there while you thaw. Which is it?"

When she put it like that...

"Driver, head for that fire, fast! You men, follow us!" the Captain bellowed to the squad of mounted Marines surrounding the carriage. He hoped that the others he had sent there would find the Princess before that warehouse collapsed. They all hung on as the carriage careened through the streets of Arendelle as fast as the team could gallop.

* * *

When the carriage got to the warehouse, the driver had to stop a short distance away; the horses were bucking and rearing as they smelled the fire and refused to go any closer.

Elsa, Kristoff and her guardsmen scrambled out of the carriage and ran to where a small group of Marines was milling around in front of the warehouse. They were struggling to control their horses; they were as spooked by the fire as the carriage team was. The Marines strained to hold onto the reins of their mounts as they tried to calm them enough to be able to lead them far enough away from the fire to tie them up and begin a search.

Elsa was horrified to see how engulfed in flames the building already appeared to be. In the distance, she could hear the bells of the fire brigade coming to fight the fire before too many other buildings were involved in the conflagration.

"_Anna! Oh, gods, Anna!"_ Elsa's pulse was racing and her hands trembled. She was afraid her legs wouldn't hold her upright; she clenched her hands, uncertain of what to do. Reluctant as she was to put them at risk in the burning warehouse, she was about to order two of the Marines to attempt a quick search before the fire got completely out of control and made it impossible. She intended to follow them and protect them with her ice magic. She did not share this plan with her Guard Captain.

Suddenly Pierre appeared in the doorway, coughing and choking. He was startled to see the Marines but had the presence of mind to pull out his pistol and aim it at them. "Back, you dogs, or I'll kill you all!"

He suddenly noticed Elsa standing there and bellowed, "I'll kill you, witch!" and before any of the Marines could react, he pointed the pistol at her and pulled the trigger.

When Elsa was attacked by the Duke's men in her ice palace, her magic had defended her from a crossbow bolt without any conscious action on her part. This time, she was very conscious of what she was doing. The moment she saw Pierre and the blazing fanatical hatred in his eyes she knew she would have to kill him before he killed her, killed Kristoff, killed as many Marines as he had bullets in his gun.

In the split second before his gun spat death at her she sent a blast of ice shards to impale him to the warehouse wall. The bullet flew off into the sky as his arms flew wide and flung the gun away. He hung there like an insect in a display case, looking down at the spike through his chest, mouth gaping, disbelief the only emotion on his face. "You … you … weren't supposed to be able to do that …" he whined as he died.

Saint-Just had stumbled out of the warehouse right behind Pierre, equally overcome by the smoke. Seeing what had happened to Pierre unmanned him and he fell to his knees holding his hands in the air, screaming, "Don't kill me, I surrender."

Elsa turned to him and grabbed him by the throat. "Where's my sister?" she hissed.

"Inside, she's inside about 50 feet. Pierre stabbed her, not me! Please don't kill me!" he blubbered like a child.

Elsa released her grip on his throat and he fell flat on his face, continuing to whimper, "Don't kill me, I surrender."

She snapped at Kristoff, "We need to go get her. I'll protect us. Come on."

The Guard Captain's protest died in his throat as he saw the flinty determination in her eyes. Nothing was going to stop Elsa if Anna was in danger.

Kristoff ran to her side while two Marines grabbed Saint-Just and hustled him away.

"Stay as close to me as you can. I'll try to keep the fire at bay with my magic!" Elsa told Kristoff. Then she conjured up a whirlwind of snow and ice to surround them and they walked into the fire.

* * *

The blazing inferno was merciless as it devoured the warehouse structure. Anna saw a shower of sparks as a beam fell with a crash. She was panting; the smoke was suffocating. Even lying on the floor below the worst of it she could hardly breathe. She clutched her side where the stab wound bled freely.

"_Elsa, Kristoff!?"_ her thoughts were muddled, she was losing consciousness. She knew that she was going to die here and this time there would be no miracle of true love to save her.

Through the smoke and the flames she saw something white coming toward her. An angel? Was she dead and an angel was coming to guide her soul? Not an angel, a blizzard! _"That's no blizzard, that's my SISTER!" _she realized. Elsa had come to save her.

The swirl of ice and snow was protecting Elsa and Kristoff. The ice and snow melted almost as fast as she could conjure it, the fire was so hot. They approached Anna quickly.

"Kristoff, pick her up! I won't be able to hold the flames back much longer!" Elsa's voice was sharp. He picked Anna up and nodded at Elsa. She immediately focused a blast of ice to break down a nearby wall, and the two of them sprinted to escape the inferno, still surrounded by Elsa's magic snow.

They had barely gotten outside when the roof collapsed in the building behind them, sending a blast of flames and debris through the breach Elsa had created-a blast that knocked them off their feet. Kristoff was able to twist his body so that he cushioned Anna's body on his own, and Elsa managed to keep the snow and ice around them to quench the flames before they could be burned. Their clothing had gotten a little scorched even so, and they coughed and gagged at the smothering smoke. Anna had mercifully passed out when Kristoff had picked her up inside the burning building.

"Your Majesty!" One of Elsa's guardsmen ran up to her. More guardsmen and Marines ran up and the fire brigade began to fight the fire before it spread to other buildings. It was a raging inferno, quickly getting out of control. She could feel the waves of heat beating on her skin.

"We need to get my sister to a physician, she's hurt!" Elsa managed to choke out through her coughs.

Two guardsmen picked Anna up from where she lay atop Kristoff. Two more helped him get up and stumble after Anna as they carried her to a safe distance, then put her gently into a wagon. Kristoff jumped in with her and cradled her head tenderly in his lap. The wagon drove off to take Anna to the Apothecary not far away.

With the help of a guardsman, Elsa staggered to her feet. Still coughing, she turned toward the burning building, brushing off the attempt of a guard to pull her away to safety. "Your Majesty, the Fire Brigade is here, let them do their jobs!"

"No, I can help them put this out. They'll never stop it before it burns down half this end of the town otherwise." She pushed him away.

She gestured with both hands, and a thick cloud formed over the building. Snow began to fall from the cloud; a blizzard of snow and sleet. The roaring blaze melted the snow into water that rained down and gradually brought the fire under control. When Elsa was finally confident the fire brigade could put out the remaining flames she dissipated the snow cloud and turned away.

She stumbled and would have fallen if one of her guardsmen hadn't grabbed her elbow to steady her. Dazed, she looked around, seeing her usual cordon of Queen's Own surrounding her. She shook her head to try to clear it and asked, "Where's my sister? Where's Anna?" There was a slight edge of panic in her voice; she knew Anna had been stabbed but she didn't know how serious the wound was.

"Your Majesty, the physician at the Apothecary treated her wounds as best he could, then they took her back to the castle so that the Royal Physician and his assistants could continue to treat her." replied her Guard Captain.

"We need to get back to the castle, then, Captain!" Elsa said as she started to walk away. Her legs suddenly turned to rubber and she would have fallen if not for the guardsman catching her again. He gently helped her sit down on the cobblestones.

"It appears I will need my carriage." Elsa managed to gasp before she blacked out.

* * *

When Elsa awoke, she couldn't focus her vision for a moment, then it cleared and she could see Gerda's face above her and feel something cool and damp against her forehead.

"Gerda?" Elsa could only manage a hoarse whisper; the smoke had roughened her throat. "Where's Anna? Is she okay?"

"She is being treated by the Royal Physician, Your Majesty. Next door. He doesn't want you in there yet. You took some nasty bruises and scrapes yourself, not to mention inhaling the smoke." Gerda replied as she continued to bathe Elsa's forehead and face with a damp towel.

Looking around, Elsa could see that she was in one of the small private rooms of the castle infirmary. She suddenly realized that Gerda hadn't really answered her question. "Is Anna okay?" she asked again, more forcefully this time.

The troubled look on Gerda's face was all the answer she needed. She attempted to sit up and get out of the bed, but Gerda held her down. "No, Your Majesty! You must stay here! The Physician was firm...he needs no interruptions. Anna's wound is serious and you can't go in there yet."

Elsa stopped struggling and lay quiet, but her thoughts were in turmoil. "Where is Kristoff? Is he alright?" she managed to ask.

"I'm right here, Elsa." Kristoff came up to her bed. "I was waiting in the hall when I heard you talking to Gerda." His waistcoat and cravat were gone; the vest was missing a few buttons. His clothes were stained with smoke and had small burned patches here and there and his face and hair were smudged and blackened with soot. An angry red welt across one cheek showed stark against his fair skin.

"Kristoff! What happened?" Elsa reached out to him.

Taking her hand in his, he replied, "The physician at the apothecary managed to stop the bleeding and bandage her up enough for us to bring her here. Your physician and his nurses are doing what they can. She hasn't regained consciousness yet." He looked miserable. "Elsa, I'm … I'm afraid. She bled a lot, and … if that knife cut something vital in her gut, she'll … she'll ..." He couldn't finish.

Elsa squeezed his hand, tears welling in her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant. Gut wounds would frequently prove fatal. The fevers would take hold and kill the victim after a few days of agony. On a battlefield, the surgeons would often give the mercy stroke to gut-shot soldiers, or enough laudanum that they never woke up. _"Please, please don't let that happen to Anna!" _

"Kristoff, you should get cleaned up and get that burn on your face looked after." Elsa finally found her voice, shaky as it was.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not leaving here until the physician comes out to tell us how she's doing." He looked around, pulled a chair over next to Elsa's bed and sat down. He took her hand again. "I don't know what I'll do if she … if she ..." His voice caught and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to banish the vision of Anna when they had found her in the warehouse. Elsa could only nod through her own tears, her throat too tight to speak.

Gerda had left them when Kristoff entered the room. She now returned bearing a tray with a teapot and two mugs. "Your Majesty, Kristoff, the physician ordered me to bring you some herbal tea with honey. He said you both needed to drink as much as you can. The heat from the fire dehydrated you and you need to replace the fluids. The honey will soothe your throats from the smoke."

Gerda helped Elsa sit up while Kristoff poured the tea into the mugs. They both drank two mugs. Elsa had to admit the tea and honey made her feel much better. Physically, at least. Nothing would lift the weight on her heart until she knew Anna would recover. She refused to think about her not recovering.

"Kristoff, at least use the washbasin over there to clean up a little. You'll feel better." Gerda chided him like a mother would. He nodded and did as she instructed. After washing his face and hands, he used a damp towel to get most of the soot out of his hair. He did feel better, even though the burn on his cheek still stung.

When he finished, he sat next to Elsa again. They waited, hand in hand.


	14. More Than Just The Spare

Some timeless eternity later, the Royal Physician came into Elsa's room. Elsa couldn't tell from his expression whether he had good news or bad. She sat up a little straighter. Kristoff leaned forward, intent on what the man would tell them.

"Your Majesty. We have done everything we can for the Princess Anna for now. Her wounds have been cleansed and bandaged and she is sleeping. She stirred briefly, asking for you, and we assured her that you would see her when she woke up."

Going on, the physician continued, "Your Majesty, I can't tell you yet with any certainty whether the Princess will recover." He looked disappointed when he said this.

"Why not, doctor?" Elsa felt her heart sink. Kristoff just looked anguished.

The doctor pulled another chair over and sat, looking at the two people in front of him with sympathy. "Your Majesty, this is one of those situations that forcibly reminds me of just how limited my ability to heal really is. I can set broken bones, I can stitch up wounds, I can administer some remedies that we have determined will help a body heal from diseases. Some diseases, some of the time."

He shook his head and continued, "But I can't see inside the body. There are some things that happen that I just can't fix. The stab wound that your sister received may or may not have cut into her gut. If it did, she will take the fever that kills, and there is nothing that I will be able to do except ease her passing." He could see the effect his harsh words had on the Queen and Kristoff.

"We will know within a few hours. If she has not taken a fever by morning, she should recover fully within a few weeks. I wish I had more hopeful information to share with you." He rose. "I think it would be best if you both sat with her. If she stirs again, it will comfort her to see you." He left unspoken the message that it might be the last time they would ever speak to Anna. "I will be checking on her every hour." He bowed and left.

Elsa and Kristoff just sat for a moment, stunned at this news. Elsa finally shook herself and started to get out of the bed. "Help me, Kristoff."

He steadied her as she stood up. Gerda hurried up to her, holding her robe, and helped her put it on over the nightdress she was wearing. Elsa leaning on Kristoff, they went to sit with Anna, both praying the vigil would not be a deathwatch.

* * *

Elsa's heart almost broke when she looked at Anna's still figure lying in the bed. Her face was so pale that the freckles stood out like blood against snow.

Kristoff brought a chair over for Elsa, who sat and took Anna's hand. He pulled a second chair over to the other side of the bed and sat down himself. He was afraid to touch Anna, but finally reached out to brush a few strands of hair back from her forehead. She stirred at his touch.

"El..Elsa?" her voice was a strained whisper.

"We're here, Anna. Kristoff and I are here." Elsa hoped Anna could hear her. She wasn't sure her sister was really awake or just dreaming. "We'll always be here."

Anna quieted again and the only sound in the room was her raspy breathing. Elsa and Kristoff looked at each other across her still form, their bond of love for Anna the only thing giving them comfort in their shared heartbreak.

* * *

The night dragged on, the silence broken only by the physician checking on Anna as he said he would.

Dawn was painting the windows with shades of gold and pink when Anna stirred again. "Elsa? K..Kristoff?"

The Queen had dozed, but her sister's voice brought her instantly awake. She leaned over the bed and stroked Anna's cheek. "We're here, honey. How do you feel?" Kristoff took Anna's hand as well.

Anna looked at both of them. "I had the strangest dream."

Just then the physician hurried in. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, may I?" Elsa and Kristoff moved back to give him room to fuss over his patient, feeling her forehead and checking the wound under the dressing on her side.

"Your Highness, how do you feel?" He watched Anna closely.

"Uh, with my hands? And...hungry." He nodded and turned to Elsa and Kristoff.

The physician said, "Your Majesty, I see no signs of the fever. And no signs of inflammation or festering around the wound. I am still cautious, but I believe the Princess will recover fully."

Elsa felt lightheaded as relief washed over her. Kristoff steadied her although he felt a little faint himself.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you." Elsa sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens as well.

The doctor turned back to Anna. "Your Highness, it is a good sign that you are hungry, but I would like you to refrain from eating for a few hours more – at least, not solid food. I'll ask that some broth and tea be provided for you." He nodded to her, bowed to Elsa, and left the room.

Elsa and Kristoff again sat next to Anna and each of them took a hand. She smiled at them. "We'll have to talk about my dream, but I think I'm going to sleep again..." and she dozed off.

* * *

With the assurance that Anna was going to recover, the events of the past 24 hours finally overcame Elsa. When she tried to stand, she swayed on her feet and grabbed Kristoff to keep herself from falling.

"Whoa, Elsa, we need to get you back in a bed, too." Kristoff looked down at her with concern, and supported her with an arm around her waist. She clung to him, trembling in her weakness.

Gerda hurried up just then, and exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"

She helped Kristoff support Elsa, and they led her back into the other infirmary room. Gerda tucked her into the bed, and said, "I'm going to get you both something to eat and drink. Rest, Your Majesty, I won't be long."

Alone again, Kristoff sat on the chair next to the bed. Elsa looked more troubled than Kristoff had ever seen her. Well, more troubled since that day on the fjord. She kept staring at her hands, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Elsa, what's wrong? Anna is going to be okay, we're not going to lose her."

She looked up at him. "Oh, Kristoff. I killed a man today in cold blood. I...I don't know how to feel. I'm afraid of myself again."

Kristoff took her hands in his. They were so small by comparison that they almost disappeared in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed them tenderly. She was stunned. Kristoff had never showed affection toward her, this was completely out of character for her stolid Ice Master and Deliverer.

"Elsa, these hands saved me, saved Anna, saved a lot of people, including you. You acted in self-defense, and to defend others from an evil man."

He went on, "Anna had told me how troubled you were after the attack by Weselton, how you feared becoming a monster who could kill without pity or remorse. That could never happen. You could never be a monster, your heart is too pure for that. You are the defender of your people, and you acted to defend them today."

A tear trickled down her cheek, he could tell she was holding back many more. "I'm not going to tell you that something like that shouldn't bother you at all, because if it didn't trouble you, THAT would make you the monster. Look how easily that bastard Pierre could deal out death. But that's not you, that could never be you."

"It's so hard to accept that what I did was the right thing. I should have had better control; I should have been able to disarm him, or just disable him, or … " Elsa managed to whisper.

"Elsa, you have precise control of your magic; that doesn't mean you can thread a needle with it. You did what had to be done; don't second-guess yourself. Being the queen means making hard decisions and accepting the responsibility for them. You've never in your life shied away from your responsibilities. That's not easy." He still held her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"If it was easy, Elsa, anyone could do it. I'm just thankful that Arendelle has someone as special as you as Queen. Someone strong enough to do those hard things, no matter what it costs them." He looked at her with love in his soft brown eyes; the love of a man who looked forward to having her be his family some day.

That day when he finally worked up the courage to ask Anna to marry him. _ "Whoa, scary Ice Queen sister-in-law! That's gonna happen!" _he marveled to himself.

* * *

It was three days later before Elsa felt strong enough to deal with the aftermath of the almost-assassination and Anna's rescue. Her magic took a physical toll on her and the emotional consequences were more of a drain. She spent the time eating and sleeping to regain her strength and sitting with Anna as much as she could. She had capable subordinates; the kingdom could do without her for three days or she hadn't done a good job in appointing them. Kristoff spent as much time as he could with Anna, too, so she wasn't alone when Elsa slept.

Finally feeling well enough to get back to the business of governing her kingdom, she met with the Admiral, Colonel Nordholm, and the Captain of her Guard in the Council meeting room. They had spent the time trying to unravel the mystery of the conspiracy to kill her and her nobles.

"Well, Admiral, what more have we found out about this horrific attempt at assassination?" She tried not to think how close the scheme had come to succeeding.

The Admiral simply gestured at Nordholm to give the report.

"Your Majesty, this man using the name 'Saint-Just' was so demoralized by what you did to Pierre that he was almost hysterical trying to tell us everything we wanted to know," Nordholm began.

Elsa felt slightly nauseated and clenched her hands in her lap as the vision of what she had done flashed through her mind again. She wasn't sure yet how she felt about it. Her sleep was troubled with dreams; dreams about her killing Pierre that always ended the same way as it had that day at the warehouse, no matter how hard she willed it to be different. Her outward expression remained calm, old habits serving her again to hide her inner turmoil.

The Colonel continued, "It appears that Baron Thorstad was in fact engaged in treason, just not the same treasonous conspiracy that Pierre tried to pull off. What Thorstad **thought** they were doing was a plan to kill Master Bjorgman, then kill you and several other high officials in an effort to put Princess Anna on the throne and have a suitor favorable to them comfort her in her grief and presumably become her consort."

Elsa gasped in horror. These men were evil, completely indifferent to human life. "Colonel, if that wasn't the real plan, what in heaven's name **was** Pierre's actual motivation?"

Nordholm's expression was grim. "It seems that Monsieur Rob S. Pierre was an unreconstructed _Montagnard, _one of those brutal fanatics that made the Reign of Terror such a terrible stain on the French Revolution. He felt that his father, who died in the reaction to the Reign of Terror, had been betrayed. Pierre was only ten when his father died, and swore vengeance on all royalty. He's apparently spent the last 30 years murdering his way through several realms. Saint-Just couldn't even give us a good estimate of how many people they had killed over that period of time."

"Your Majesty, these maniacs would have succeeded here in Arendelle if not for one small piece of luck, and your courage." the Admiral added. "Although I cannot help but wish you had a better sense of self preservation. Their primary goal was killing **you** after all. And your guards are not trained to protect you while you run into danger."

"Admiral, it frightens me to think how close they came, but … run away to save myself while the rest of you died? No. I have these 'gifts' and for all that they have cost me, I will use them for good when I can. Perhaps my guards will need to come to terms with that." Elsa was shaken, but stubborn. Her distaste for the idea of escaping danger instead of protecting her people was clear on her face.

Nordholm spoke, "Your Majesty, I wish we had uncovered this conspiracy before so much damage had been done. It is not an excuse, but this band of zealots had successfully eluded detection by some of the finest police and military forces in Europe for thirty years. They had murdered with impunity and were never even suspected of their secret agenda. We can only be thankful that their luck finally ran out when they decided to attack Arendelle," he finished.

Elsa could only nod at this. "I assume that thick dispatch case you are carrying, Colonel, has all of the details you have been able squeeze out of Monsieur Saint-Just?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Him and the others that we took prisoner on their ship. They were unable to escape, the harbor chain had been raised to close off the channel to the fjord, and there were two frigates waiting just outside the seawall in any case. The only other captive of note was this 'Marquis Montagne', the disgraced scion of a noble family that was intended to woo the Princess Anna," Nordholm answered her.

Continuing, Nordholm said, "Your Majesty, these people, as evil and vicious as they proved to be, were extremely good at what they were doing. If we had not captured Saint-Just, and if he had not been willing to talk, we still might have no idea how this whole thing fit together. There was not one scrap of paper on that ship that had any useful information; it was all legitimate business correspondence. I doubt there was anything useful in that warehouse, even if it hadn't burned to the ground."

The Captain of the Guard had a question. "What will we be doing with these men, Your Majesty?"

"Do, Captain? Why, we shall give them a fair trial, a scrupulously fair trial. And then we will hang the murderers and imprison the rest. Or ship them back to other kingdoms that wish to try them for crimes committed there." Elsa's voice was harsh, her jaw set. They simply nodded, satisfied that their Queen would see justice done.

* * *

It was the first day Anna had been allowed out of bed. Since she was Anna, she insisted on going outside immediately, which meant walking in the garden, which meant Elsa had to go with her just to keep her from overdoing it. The weather was a beautiful spring day for Arendelle; the sun was shining and the temperature was above freezing for a change. Elsa hoped Anna could avoid the mud being created by the melting snow. Sometimes Anna could be a mud magnet without even trying.

They sat on one of the benches under the still-bare trees. It was too early in the spring for baby ducklings, but they were able to listen to the bird songs and the cry of the gulls over the fjord.

"Anna, when you woke up after being hurt, you were talking about some sort of dream. You never told us what that was about." Elsa finally broke the companionable silence.

Anna was quiet for a moment more, then said, "Elsa, it was … weird. It seemed surreal. It was like … like I was looking down on the room from the ceiling. I saw you, and Kristoff, and … me." She moved closer to Elsa, who put her arm around her.

"I was moving further away, it was like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Then suddenly there was this bright light, and there seemed to be two people there, but the glare was so bright I couldn't see who they were. So I reached out, and started walking toward the light..." she trailed off and was quiet again. Elsa could feel her shivering. She didn't think it was because Anna was cold.

"Anna...then what?" Elsa asked her softly.

"I heard … voices. They kept saying, _'Go back, Anna. It's not time yet. Elsa needs you.' A_nd then I felt myself being pulled back down into the room. Everything went dark, and eventually I woke up to see you and Kristoff next to my bed."

Elsa held her close and stroked her hair tenderly. "That _**was**_ strange. But you were hurt pretty badly and had lost a lot of blood. The physician was worried that we would lose you."

"I think you did," Anna muttered. She sat up straight and took Elsa's hand. "I think I died."

Elsa looked at her with distress. "Died? But..." she gripped Anna's hand so tightly her sister flinched.

"Elsa, I think that was mama and papa telling me to go back to you. I think it just wasn't my time, and they made me go back." Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"Oh, Anna." Elsa hugged her close again. "It's all my fault. You shouldn't have been at that party at all, if I had only done a better job of explaining why I wanted you to stay away. I'm so sorry."

Anna pulled herself free of Elsa's embrace, then took both of Elsa's shoulders in her hands and shook her a little. "Elsa, that is not why I got hurt! I got hurt because I was being headstrong and selfish again. It wasn't .. **your** ... fault."

Seeing that she had Elsa's full attention, she went on, "Elsa, stop being the guilt-ridden martyr you've always been! You were right; I was wrong. I deserved everything that happened, because I was too stubborn and proud to admit I was wrong!"

Anna took Elsa's hand in hers again, and looked deep into her sister's eyes. "You don't have anything to be sorry for! You've sacrificed yourself for years, for me, for Arendelle. You can stop now, can't you see that? You can live for Elsa now! You don't have to be afraid any more!"

Listening to Anna, Elsa suddenly felt the last band of steel snap. Her whole life since she was eight she had tight bands that felt like steel squeezing her heart, reminding her of everything she had ever done wrong, driving her to atone for...what?

_"Conceal, don't feel" _That one had snapped that night on North Mountain as she threw off her fear and took joy in using her magic for the first time in thirteen years.

_"Elsa, what have you done!?"_ That one had been the strongest; it had been reinforced every time she looked at Anna and saw the streak in her hair; every time she heard Anna outside her door. That one snapped that day on the fjord when she hugged a living, breathing Anna after the miracle of her sacrifice.

"_You'll be fine, Elsa"_ Her father had assured her as her parents left on a sea voyage from which they never returned. But she hadn't been fine, not until she had learned to let love thaw her frozen heart.

"_What are you so afraid of?!"_ The final shove from Anna that pushed Elsa over the edge into exposing her powers in front of her Coronation guests. The words that sent her fleeing out over the fjord and set the train of their destiny into motion. What **did** she have to be afraid of any more? Why leave that band of her fear around her heart?

She felt the last one loosening, loosening, dissolving, gone. Anna was right that **she** had been in the wrong; it had been her fault if it were anyone's. But Elsa had lived so long with the guilt and shame that it had become a friend she couldn't live without. It was like a drug, addictive in its seductive power. It was just easier for her to wrap the guilt around her like a familiar blanket; to take on the burdens of responsibility even if they weren't hers to take rather than accept the reality that the people around her were fallible, too.

She looked down at Anna, lovingly stroked her hair. "You're right."

"I'm right?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that's a first."

Elsa mock-scowled at her sister. "No, Anna, it's not a first. And if I'm going to give up being a 'guilt-ridden martyr', as you so quaintly described me, then **you** are going to give up calling yourself the goofy screw-up. We both know that you are a competent, intelligent and beautiful young woman—a woman who would do a fine job as Arendelle's Queen if that were your fate." She was smiling as she said this and opened her arms, inviting her sister into an embrace.

Anna leaned into the hug from Elsa, resting her cheek on Elsa's shoulder. "I know. That was my biggest mistake. I thought if everyone thought I was the ditzy, goofy, irresponsible little sister, no one would expect me to ever be the Queen, and you would be safe on the throne." She looked up at her sister. "But I had it just backwards. The more childish I seemed, the more likely our enemies would see me as a perfect means to depose you and put someone they could manipulate in your place. It put you in danger."

She straightened up, looked stern. "But, no more. I learned this lesson the hard way by almost losing everything. I promise you, from now on, I'll be your faithful right hand...wait, you're left-handed. I guess I'll be your faithful left hand … oh, you know what I mean!"

She reached out to take both of Elsa's hands in her own and grinned, "I'll travel throughout the land, telling everyone about my sister and the magic things she can do."

Elsa smiled at her baby sister. "_Up or down together, princess crown together, always be together, you and me_." It was a little song they had made up when they played as children, dreaming of the day Elsa would be Queen and the wonderful things they would do for Arendelle, together.

Anna smiled back and joined her voice with Elsa's, just like they had sung hand in hand so long ago. "_No one can tell us what a princess should be, as long as we're together, you and me!_"

~The End~

* * *

**Author's Note: ** the little song Elsa and Anna sing here at the end is again credited to the songwriters for the movie. The name of the song is "We Know Better" and is on the deluxe edition soundtrack. I'm hoping they incorporate it into the Broadway musical, whenever that actually happens.

* * *

The very first thing I need to do is thank stillslightlynerdy for her help and mentoring when she edits my stories. I like to think that this story is better than the first one I wrote all of 3 months ago, and if it is, most of the credit goes to her gentle nagging, uh, I mean, mentoring about things like verb tenses and commas. Seriously, THANK YOU!

Any remaining errors are all mine...

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this story. I really hope you paid no attention to the man behind the curtain until he pulled out that gun in chapter 12 and blew his co-conspirator away. My intent was that you would be as surprised as Baron Thorstad was to discover that he was a pawn, not the chess master. The only hint I tried to give you was the names of the bad guys. They were all prominent radicals during the French Revolution Reign of Terror.

As usual, the real difficulty was creating credible danger to Elsa. Magic and all that. Hope it worked for you. If it did, be sure to review it! If you hated it, send me a PM to tell me why so I can improve my writing.

Not sure how many more of these I have in me …


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